Life on Earth SEQUEL TO AFTERMATH
by sjslashfan
Summary: FEMSLASH  Perdita settles into the Carter/Fraiser household
1. Chapter 1

Perdita was stunned into silence by her new home. Even in the city on her home planet, homes had never been as luxurious as this. To start with, she was too scared to touch anything, for fear of breaking it. And some things were so remarkable she had just _no_ idea what they were.

Cassie saw her looking in amazement at the CD player. "That's a stereo, Deetie," she told her sister. "It plays music when you want to listen to it. Here, let me show you," and she slid a CD into the tray, and pressed play.

Perdita jumped back startled when music came out of the speakers, involuntarily letting out a whimper of fear.

"It's okay, Deetie," Cassie reassured her, feeling guilty at having scared her. "It's supposed to do that."

Perdita ran over to Sam and took her uninjured hand. "Where are they?" she demanded in a frightened voice. "Where are the people making the music?" She was not unfamiliar with the concept of music, music was a big feature on her home planet. Her brother had played the 'luttra', which was a type of cross between the guitar and the cello.

Sam knelt to her level, and looked her straight in the eye. "It's a recording, Dita," she told her gently. "We have some real clever technology here, so that when we want to, we can 'save' sounds we really like and store them on these clever disks. She led her over to the CD rack. "See, these are all different, and when we want to listen to something in particular, we can choose which one we want, so we know we'll get something we like. Unless," she winked at Perdita, "we make a mistake and take something from Cassie's stack of music, and then we really _do_ know we won't like it!" She squeezed Perdita's hand. "It's nothing to be scared of, Dita, I promise you. Once you settle in, you may find there's some music you really like, and then you can play it yourself."

Perdita shook her head, "I don't think I'm gonna want to do that," she said, her voice still a little shaky.

"Well then you don't have to sweetie," Sam told her, nodding over at Cassie who turned the stereo system off. "Here, let me show you round." And she took her round the whole house, explaining every knob and button, trying not to overwhelm the scared child, but at the same time not wanting to leave anything unexplained and scary.

Finally, she took her to her room. "It's still basic, sweetie," Sam told her, "but it's all yours. And once you settle in, you can decide what you want it to look like; you can paint it any color you want, you can choose new curtains, pillows, anything you don't like, we'll change. But this is where you'll sleep." And she gently pushed her in the door. Perdita gasped, she didn't know what she had imagined, but it wasn't this. Staying in Sam's room in the cottage on the planet had been luxury to her, this carpeted room, with it's color-coordinated linen, soft bed, closet, chests of drawers and electric lamps was way beyond anything she had thought.

She looked up at Sam. "I'm staying here?" she asked her, querulously, "just me?"

"Yes, sweetie, is that okay?" Sam was worried that it was all too much for her. "We want you to be comfortable and happy."

Perdita nodded. "'kay," she said. "I like it."

Sam pulled her into a one-armed hug, carefully protecting her damaged arm, shoulder and ribs. "I'm so pleased you came back with us, Dita," she said, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "I know everything's strange, and a bit scary, right now. But we're gonna try and help you out and make it as easy as we can for you. We all really want you here, and Cassie and Janet are so pleased you're part of the family. And I don't know how good I'm gonna be as a mom, baby, but I'm gonna try my best. Janet has really been Cassie's 'main' mom, she's been there all the time for her. I wish I'd been around more when she was younger, but I was away a lot. I'll still have to go away some, but I promise to spend as much time as I can at home, as much time as possible with you, Cassie and Janet."

Perdita took a small step back, and looked straight into Sam's eyes. "I want you to be my mom," she told her, in a firm voice. "I love you."

"And I love you too, Dita," Sam replied, "and I'm gonna do my best, I swear."

"I'll all be okay," Perdita said, in a soft voice. "I just know it."

"Yes," Sam agreed, "it sure will."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Sam then took her round the rest of the upstairs of the house - even the concept of 'upstairs' was new to Perdita, and showed her the bathrooms, Cassie's room, and then her and Janet's room. For the first time, Sam saw that all her things had been brought back to 'their' room, and had been installed in the right places; even her robe hung casually over the back of the door. She gasped.

"What?" Perdita was an observant child.

"It's not important, Dita. It's just," she swallowed and looked at the small child and decided there and then she wouldn't lie to her about anything; for better or worse, she was going to be up front and honest with her. "It's just Janet and I had broken up, I was living somewhere else for a while. But somebody, and I'll just bet Cassie had something to do with this, somebody's been to my apartment and brought all my things back here. And it makes me so happy, Dita," her eyes were shining, "to see 'our' room as it used to be. To know that Janet and I really are back together."

"Are you gonna break up again some time?" Perdita wanted to know.

Sam knelt at her level. "No sweetie, not ever. That's one thing I'm sure about. I think we've both learned something from last time; that time apart was terrible for both of us. We're never going to let it get to that again. I swear to you. Janet and I are going to be together for ever."

Perdita nodded. "Good," she said.

****

When Sam and Perdita got back downstairs again, Janet was standing with her hands on her hips at the bottom of the staircase. "Samantha Carter!" her voice had a warning note to it, though she wasn't able to hide her smile. "It's about time you rested."

"Yes, Mom!" Sam replied cheekily, earning herself a swat on the backside.

"Couch! Now!" Janet could be fierce when she wanted to be.

"Just one thing," Sam leant forward, kissing Janet softly on the lips. "Just had to do that first. Hope that's okay, doc," she grinned widely.

"Oh yeah," Janet agreed. "That's definitely okay. That's always okay. C'mon now honey, you don't want to overdo it," she could see that Sam was all but wiped out, and led her to the couch, where she made her lie down and pulled the comforter over her. Within five minutes, the blonde scientist was asleep.

"Is she okay?" Perdita tugged at Janet's sleeve in the kitchen.

"She's fine," Janet put her arm round her, "she's just tired. She'll get real tired for a while, but soon she'll be all fixed up. But she will be okay, Deetie, once she gets enough rest and everything heals properly. Why don't you go in the garden with Cassie, she'll show you round there, while I make dinner?"

Cassie took her little sister by the hand, and showed her all round the garden. The garden was big and secluded. Due to the unusual positioning of the house in the corner of the street, and the high fences, the garden was well protected and not overlooked. Perdita loved it; she loved to be outside, and she felt right at home there.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

An hour later, Janet called to the girls in the garden to come in for dinner. She went into the living room, where Sam was still dozing. She approached the couch, and knelt down by her lover. Gently pushing the hair from her face, she called, "hey, baby, can you manage some dinner?"

Sam awoke, grinned sleepily, "hi honey. Time to get up, huh?"

Janet smiled, "only if you feel up to it."

"I sure do," Sam replied, and gingerly got to her feet. Her injuries were very much better, but her shoulder still gave her quite a lot of pain. It wasn't the first time it had been dislocated, and it seemed to be taking its sweet time to recover. Her arm was still in plaster, but the pain had almost gone, and her ribs felt much better than a few days ago. She knew she was lucky to be alive, so she didn't complain.

The girls came in from the garden, and they all enjoyed their first real 'family' meal together in their home. Perdita was still unsure about what to say, or what to do, but Sam rejoiced at the easy, bantering relationship she had developed with Cassie. Toward the end of the meal, unnoticed by the girls, she took Janet's hand, and nodded toward their daughters, who were laughing fit to bust at some private joke. Janet smiled, and squeezed Sam's hand. "Happy?" she asked Sam.

"Oh yeah," Sam told her. "Hundred percent."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

After dinner, Janet and Cassie insisted on clearing up, while Sam sat on the couch with Perdita. "You like your new home, sweetie?" Sam asked Perdita.

Perdita nodded, vehemently. "It's great," she smiled. "I mean, some of it is a bit... strange. But I'll get used to that. I love being here with you, and Cassie, and Janet," she told her new mom with feeling.

"And we love having you here, Dita," Sam put her arm round the child, who was still far too thin, despite having filled out a little since coming to Earth. Perdita snuggled carefully into her, and when Janet returned to the living room twenty minutes later, she was entranced to see two blonde heads poking out from the comforter, both sound asleep.

When Sam awoke a couple of hours later, Perdita remained asleep. "Time for bed, honey, I think," Janet told her.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Could you?" she gestured to the sleeping child.

Janet carefully scooped Perdita up from the couch, and carried her upstairs, where she lay her on her bed. With some help from Sam, who was restricted by her arm, she got her changed into her nightshirt of choice, which was of course one of Sam's t-shirts. The girl stirred briefly. "It's okay, Deetie," Janet said. "Just getting you ready for bed." Perdita nodded, and her eyes closed again.

The two women tucked the new 'baby' in, and withdrew from the room. They they knocked on Cassandra's door. "Come in," Cassie called cheerfully.

"Hey sweetie," Janet said to her. "We just wanted to check how you're doing with all this."

"I'm doin' great," Cassie grinned. "You two back together, Deetie here, school vacation, can't really get much better than that!"

Sam grinned back. "I'm so glad you feel like that, Cass. I know you weren't given much of a choice when I brought Dita back, but I hoped you'd understand and be happy about it."

"She's cute," Cassie smiled. "I couldn't be happier about her being here, truthfully."

Sam, Janet and Cassie met together in a group hug.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Perdita slept soundly for the first few hours, but when she awoke, in a strange room, in a strange house, she was frightened and confused. Every instinct in her just wanted to get away, and she was already half way to the door when she remembered. She was not trapped in the city, there was no nasty man preparing to do bad things to her. She sat down on the bed, and wept - with relief, and with fear. She loved her new family, it would just take a while to get used to all this newness.

After a while, she calmed down somewhat. She wanted to crawl into somebody's arms, preferably Sam's, but she was an independent-spirited little girl, and she didn't want to wake the rest of the household. So she did what she used to do when she was alone and scared in her camp on her old planet; she looked out at the stars, fixed on the largest and brightest of them, and found some solace in that. She opened the windows, and was relieved to find the breeze blowing across her face. The house was wonderful, but at least with the big windows open, she could kid herself she was outside again; and she associated being outside with being safe.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

In 'their' bedroom, Sam looked at Janet with so much love in her eyes that Janet caught her breath. "Thank you," Sam said quietly. Janet looked at her quizzically. "Thank you for everything. For having me back; for taking Dita in. For giving this 'family' another chance. I don't deserve you, Jan, though I'm gonna try my best. I love you so much."

"Oh Sam, I love you too, honey. More than anyone or anything. And it's you who deserves thanks, for forgiving me. It's gonna be great from now on, isn't it baby?" her big brown eyes looked up at Sam pleadingly.

"Everything's gonna be perfect, Jan," Sam reassured her. She led Janet to the bed, where they sat side by side. "I've missed being with you so much," Sam's voice shook with emotion. "I can't quite believe we're back together, in the same house, the same room, the same bed."

"I know, baby," Janet agreed. "I've missed you too, more than I could ever have imagined." And she reached up for a kiss, gingerly at first, but become more passionate as the kiss deepened. Sam responded, and started to unbutton Janet's blouse. "Gently, hon," Janet admonished. "You're hurt, remember?"

Sam's look of disappointment was almost comical.

"I don't mean let's not," Janet laughed. "I just mean, let's be careful."

So they were.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Sam was first up in the morning, unable to break her early-morning habits. She helped herself to a coffee - one of the few tasks she was allowed to carry out in the kitchen - and then knocked softly on Perdita's door. There was no answer, so she quietly opened the door. As soon as she stepped in, she was startled to feel the cold in the room. She saw the big windows were wide open, and Perdita was curled up in the corner of her bed, wrapped firmly in her quilt, only the top of her head poking out.

As Sam entered the room, Perdita awakened, and poked her head out from under the covers. "Hi, Sam," she whispered, a note of relief in her voice. Even after opening the windows, she had had some bad dreams, so it was comforting to see the face of the person she loved most.

"Hey, Dita," Sam moved over to the bed. "It's freezing in here, sweetie, are you okay? Why the open windows?"

Perdita moved into her arms. "I wanted some air. I was a bit scared," she took a deep breath. She hated admitting to any fear, but she knew that if anybody could make the bad dreams go away, it was Sam.

"Oh Dita, there's nothing to be scared of here. Why didn't you come wake me if you were scared?"

"Didn't want to wake you," Perdita told her. "I have to get used to this. But it was better with the windows open, even with the cold."

"Then that's okay," Sam tightened her grip on her. "Tell you what, sweetie, we'll make sure you've got more blankets tonight, and then if you want the windows open, at least you won't be cold. And if you want me, at any time, you come get me. And if I'm not here, Janet and Cassie will be. We all want you to feel safe."

Perdita looked up at her. "I do feel safe, Sam, and I love being here."

Sam smiled at her, with love in her big, blue eyes, "that's good Dita, 'cos we all love you being here."


	2. Chapter 2 Settling In

Three days after they had all come home, Perdita was beginning to relax more in the house, and seemed to be finding her feet with her new-found family. Cassie was being particularly gentle and loving toward her, and it warmed Sam's heart to see her nearly-fifteen-year-old daughter take her new sister under her wing. Perdita, for her part, clearly adored the teenager who seemed to her to be unbelievably glamorous and sophisticated.

For her part, Cassie was having a great time helping her sister settle in. She could see how much it meant to Sam, and her mom, that Perdita be happy in her new environment. Also, she had learned from Sam what the child had been through, and she knew just how horrifying it was to lose your parents young. She still missed her 'real' parents, and often thought of them. Like Perdita, she had had to witness them dying from a horrible disease and not been able to do anything about it. However, Perdita was even younger than she was when it happened, and to make matters worse had then had to survive on her own, in a sometimes inhospitable environment, for over a year. Little wonder that this tiny girl saw Sam as some kind of savior.

Cassie still felt the same way about Sam herself; she would never forget her feelings when Sam re-entered the bunker in the abandoned nuclear facility and took her in her arms. She knew then, and she knew now, that Sam had had no real idea of whether either of them would survive. But she put her own life on the line for her, and she would do the same for Perdita if it came to it. In fact, she already had, but fortunately she had come through both times, though she was a bit more banged up this time.

Cassie knew from her own experiences that, while Perdita was happy to be part of the family on this new and interesting planet, she still had a lot of adusting to do, not least in coming to terms with the fact that this was her family now, and accepting that her own family really was gone for good. And of course thrown into the mix was the unfortunate experience that Perdita had had after her family died, when she was so nearly molested by that sick bastard. So she made every effort she could to try and ease Perdita's time of transition, and to show her love. Perdita needed to know she was safe now, and that she would always have somebody on her side.

Sam and Janet watched their elder daughter with undisguised pride. "You're amazing, you know that?" Sam said to her quietly on the evening of the third day. "We see what you're doing, and we love you for it Cass."

Cassie shrugged. "It's what you and Mom did for me. She'll be okay, Sam, I'm sure of it. It may take a while, but she'll be okay."

Sam enveloped her in a one-armed hug. "I love you, Cass."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

That evening, Cassie enjoyed showing Perdita how to play Parcheesi, and soon the whole family was involved in a noisy tournament. Janet and Perdita teamed up together against Sam and Cassie, and they were delighted to beat the pair of them soundly. There was much shouting and laughter, and Toby the dog (who had recently returned from his stay with 'Uncle Jack') eventually had to hide away in the kitchen to get away from all the noise.

So it was a tired, but happy, group who retired for the night at about 2200hrs. It was way past Perdita's bed time, but none of them cared, they had been having too much fun. And they had nothing in particular planned for the next day, so it was all good.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Once the girls were safely tucked into bed, Sam and Janet took a long, hot shower together. Janet helped Sam to keep her plastered arm dry, and she tenderly soaped and rinsed the rest of her body. Even with her bruises still far too much in evidence, she was still the most beautiful thing that Janet had ever seen. After the shower, she led Sam back to the bed, where she gently massaged her shoulder, which was still giving her a lot of trouble. After half an hour of massage, she put away the oil, and was just climbing off the bed to wash her hands, when Sam turned onto her back and grabbed Janet's hand.

"Goin' somewhere?" she asked her lover, her voice husky.

"Not if you don't want me to," Janet's tone was seductive. "You got plans?"

"Thought maybe we could play some games of our own," Sam's eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"Well if you think you can cope with another defeat..." Janet failed to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Oh I don't plan on losing anything else tonight," Sam's breathing was quickening. "In fact, I'm expecting to be more than satisfied with the outcome of tonight's games."

"You do, huh?" Janet's hands were already busying themselves with massaging parts of Sam's body that definitely did _not_ need any sort of physiotherapy. "You know, baby, I think you might just be right."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

It was nearly three hours later that the two women made their way back to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Sam couldn't imagine how she had lasted over four months without Janet and the delights of her small, perfect body. With the water pounding over both of them, she cupped Janet's face with her hand. "Thank you, Jan," she whispered, bending slightly to kiss her deeply. She could never get enough of the taste of Janet.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Janet left the bathroom first, and wrapped herself in her robe. She heard the shower door opening, and moved to the bedroom window while she waited for Sam to come out. She looked out dreamily on the moonlit night, and then peered closer into the darkness. She thought she could see something, but it was out of focus. She had taken her contacts out for the night, so she reached into her drawer and put her hated glasses on.

At that moment, Sam emerged. "God you look hot with those on," she told Janet. It was a standing joke between them that Sam was turned on by the 'sexy librarian' look; Janet hadn't quite realized that Sam wasn't joking.

"No," Janet's tone was serious, "there's something out there; turn out the light so I can see better."

So Sam did. "Oh my God," Janet said, "it's Deetie. She's just sitting out there in the dark. She must be freezing, Sam."

Sam looked out, and she could see the small form of their young daughter, sitting on the bench by the fence. Her head was in her hands, and Sam could see her shoulders shaking. "She's crying," she said in a small voice to Janet. "We've been in here, fooling around, and she's out there, crying her heart out."

"Stop it," Janet put her hand on her arm. "You couldn't have known. Neither of us could."

Sam's expressive eyes were glistening. "I'm going down."

"Okay, sweetie, but put some clothes on first," Janet tugged gently at her bath towel. "You'll catch your death of cold."

In seconds, Sam was dressed in jogging pants and a thick sweater. "Here," Janet said, "take this; this'll warm her up," and she reached into the closet and brought out Sam's much-loved flying jacket.

Sam nodded and took it from her hands. "I'll give you a few minutes, then I'll be right there, okay honey?" Janet said.

Janet watched from the window as her lover made her way across the lawn and settled herself on the bench, putting a gentle hand on Perdita's back.

"Dita?" Sam called softly. "You okay?"

Perdita started; she'd been so caught up in her own misery that she hadn't heard Sam coming. She flung herself into Sam's arms. Sam just held her tight, rubbing her back as sobs shook her tiny frame. She pulled the thick flying jacket around her, completely enveloping her small daughter. Perdita burrowed into the warmth of the jacket, her face snuggled into Sam's front. Sam rocked her gently until eventually the sobbing slowed, and then stopped. "'m sorry," Perdita whispered. "I had a bad dream again, I got scared. I wanted to be outside. But then it got real cold," she shivered as she spoke.

"That's okay, sweetie," Sam said, "you're allowed to get scared. Sometimes," and she used her thumb to wipe away the tears on Perdita's face, "sometimes it's a good thing to talk about it. If you talk about it, that can help the bad dreams go away."

"Have you ever had bad dreams?" Perdita asked her, hiccoughing.

"Oh God yes," Sam realized that she had only ever admitted such to Janet. "Horrible dreams sometimes. But they don't go on for ever, and they're not real, it's important to remember that. The bad stuff's over now, Dita. You've seen some terrible things, and you lost your mom, and dad, and your brother, which is real hard. And I know we can never replace them, but we are going to try and make this a happy home for you sweetie. We're gonna have lots of fun and laughter. And love."

"We had fun earlier, didn't we?" Perdita looked up at Sam with such lost, sad eyes.

"We sure did, honey, and there's lots more where that came from. You should see Janet when she dresses up, she can be real funny. D'you know," Sam smiled wistfully at the memory. "On Cassie's last birthday, she dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, had her hair in pigtails, the lot. She even pretended Toby was Toto."

"Who's Dorothy?" Perdita asked.

Sam realized that, of course, Perdita had never seen the movie. She'd never seen any movie come to that. "I forgot, Dita, you don't know the story. It's a real fun, cute story. Iy's a movie. We'll watch it together one day. And when we've seen it, I'll show you the pictures of Janet in her gingham dress. Janet's real funny when she gets an idea in her head. Maybe you and she can come up with a good idea for Cassie's next birthday? She's fifteen next month."

"You can help me think of something," Janet's voice was unexpected, Sam and Perdita had not heard her approach. "We'll surprise Cassie, and Sam. Okay Deetie?"

"Okay," Perdita sniffed and sat upright.

"You ready to come inside?" Sam asked Perdita.

"Yeah," she said in a quiet voice.

"Okay then," Sam straightened up the flying jacket and wrapped it round her daughter like an oversized overcoat.

"What's that?" Perdita asked, feeling something hard from the inside pocket pressing against her elbow.

"Dita?" Sam didn't know what she meant.

Perdita reached into the inside pocket of the jacket, and pulled out the shiny pebble she had left as a gift for Sam on the planet.

Sam knelt down, and took the pebble, almost reverentially, in her hand. "Oh that," she smiled. "That's one of my treasures. It means an awful lot to me. I was given it by a very special girl," she looked straight at Perdita. "And I'll never let it go."

Perdita flung her arms round Sam's neck.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

The next morning, the family had a late breakfast. Only Cassie had gone to sleep at a reasonable hour, and as a teenager she had been very glad to have a lie-in; any excuse to stay in her bed, listening to her 'Godawful music' as Janet called it was very welcome. So it was 1000hrs when they all sat at the table, eating Janet's pancakes.

Janet and Cassie finished their breakfasts first, and started to clear away. Perdita was still eating, and Sam was on her third coffee. "Dita?" Sam had a sudden brainwave. Perdita looked up at Sam. "I know when you feel bad it makes you feel better to go outside sometimes." Perdita looked down in her lap.

"No, sweetie, that's okay, that's not a problem. It's just I had an idea. I hate to think of you getting all cold out there. What about if we get you a tent? Then, if you just want to get out for a while, you can get into your tent. We'll get you a good warm sleeping bag and a decent flashlight. Then you can stay out as long as you want, and you won't get cold, or sick. The garden's safe, nobody overlooks it, and you can only get into it from the house. What do you think of that?"

Perdita smiled. She hated disturbing everybody in the house, but somehow she felt so much better in the air, more free, safer. "I think that'd be good," she said quietly.

So Sam, who still couldn't drive with her bad arm and shoulder, asked Janet to drop her and Perdita off at the camping suppliers, while Janet and Cassie went to the mall for the new sneakers that Cassie had been wanting for ages. "We'll meet you for lunch," she told them, "I'm buying."

Janet kissed her, "just so long as you're not cooking baby, that's all I ask!" Sam gave her a mock scowl.

"Just you wait Fraiser, I'll get you back for that," she laughed.

"Can't wait, honey, can't wait," Janet grinned back. "Two hours, tops, we'll meet you in the cafe."

To start with, Perdita was completely overwhelmed by the size of the camping store, and the number of people around, and she clung tight to Sam's hand. However, after a short while, she slowly gained in confidence, and soon she and Sam had chosen all that they needed.

Sam had worried a little that Perdita would find the cafe equally overpowering, but the young girl was so excited by the prospect of putting up her tent in the garden when they got back that she seemed to forget all about her fears. A very excited Perdita ran up to Cassie in the cafe. "We got a tent! And a flashlight! And a camp bed!" Cassie swept her up in her arms.

"So where is it all then?" Janet asked Sam.

Sam grinned. "You're picking it up on the way back, sweetie! I can't carry it with this ridiculous thing you're making me wear," she pointed at the sling, "so all the hard work's going to fall on you. Told you I'd get you back!"

Janet laughed. "I'm just surprised that you're doing what I told you for once," she said.

"Well you keep telling me doctor knows best," Sam smiled at her.

"Indeed," Janet said, and both women collapsed in a fit of giggles.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

"Why do we have to paint it?" Perdita was confused. "What's wrong with it?"

Sam laughed, and pulled the small girl on her knee. This was the beginning of her third week living in the same house with Sam, Janet and Cassie. So far she had spent four nights in her tent, but each day she seemed to grow almost imperceptibly in confidence. Sam hoped that eventually the tent would become just a plaything and not a refuge.

"We don't have to paint it, sweetie," she told her. "It's just we thought maybe you'd like to have it painted, so that it can really be yours. It's your room now, and we all want you to feel at home. And sometimes, when you've chosen the things you want around you, and it all looks like you want it to, then it's easier to feel comfortable."

Perdita nodded.

"See," Sam continued, "Cassie's decorated her room exactly as she wants it, whereas the room you're in now hasn't been used much, it was just a spare bedroom before you came along, so it hasn't got any real character to it. But we don't have to sweetie, it's totally up to you."

"So I'd choose what color it should be?" Perdita asked.

"That's right, Dita, it's totally up to you how you want it to look. And we could maybe get a new quilt and some new covers for your bed. If you want to that it," Sam peered at her anxiously.

A slow smile spread over Perdita's face. "I think that would be nice," she agreed. "Can we maybe make it blue, like the sky? I like the sky."

"I think that sounds great, Dita," Sam said. "And we could even paint some clouds on the ceiling, if you'd like?"

"Oh yeah," Perdita grinned widely. "I think I'd really like that."

So it was that, later that afternoon, the whole family found themselves in the local hardware store, picking out paints. Perdita was still nervous in public, but she soon responded to Cassie's enthusiasm, and in less than an hour had picked out the paints and borders she wanted.

Janet laid her hand on Sam's arm, as the two girls were engrossed in paint charts, and smiled broadly at her. "Look at that, hon," she said, "like two peas in a pod already. You did the right thing bringing her back Sam, she's fitting right in."

Sam smiled, and was surprised at the lump that had formed in her throat. "I couldn't have left her there, Jan, God only knows what would have happened to her. This is great, isn't it?"

"It is, honey," Janet replied, "it really is."

After the hardware store, Perdita was feeling confident enough about going into the homeware store nearby. There she was thrilled to find a quilt cover and pillowcases in blue with white clouds.

"That room's gonna look like one big cloud," Sam whispered to Janet, as she paid for the purchases.

"That's appropriate," Janet grinned widely, "seeing as you're on Cloud 9 yourself!"

Sam grinned sheepishly; she couldn't remember when she had felt so happy. She had missed out on so much of Cassie's childhood; first because she was older when she brought her back from Hanka, and secondly because the Goa'uld had taken up so much of Sam's time once she had been brought back. They were still out there, still a very real threat, but Sam had promised - and she would do her very best to keep the promise - to try and cut down on her other, more 'geeky' commitments so she could spend more time with her precious family.

Cassie didn't seem to have suffered from her frequent absences, and late nights, and that could only be due to Janet's care and attention, and for that Sam was so grateful to her lover. She loved Cassie so much, but she had to admit that Janet had been the one who had been there for her all the time. This time, she was determined she would step up to the plate herself. And in doing so, she would make it up to Cassie, and to Janet.


	3. Chapter 3 An Educational Experience

Sam sat in the kitchen, peeling the potatoes under Janet's supervision. Janet was cooking roast beef for their Sunday lunch, one of Sam's favorite meals. So the blonde scientist felt honor-bound to offer to help out, though she was surprised when Janet accepted her offer.

It soon became clear, though, that Janet wanted company more than help; from what Sam could see she had everything under control. Janet had always hated peeling potatoes, though, so she was happy to let Sam do it. Sam was just pleased to be doing anything with both hands; only that morning, Janet had finally agreed that she could finally dispense with the sling that she hated.

So they were both relaxed and happy, just enjoying being with each other. Sam brought up the subject of schooling. "I know the summer vacation's still got four weeks to run, but I suppose we should be thinking about schooling for Dita, shouldn't we hon?"

"Yes, we've got to think about that seriously," Janet agreed. "D'you think she's ready though? I mean, she's still getting used to being on Earth, you don't think it's too much for her? And have we taught her enough about our customs here? We don't want her to stick out, for her sake as well as keeping the Stargate secret."

"I know what you mean, sweetie," Sam said. "But she's sharper than a tack, that one, I really don't think there'll be a problem. Cassie'll help, I know. And I think we should send her to Cassie's first school, don't you? They were real good with Cassie, and the kids were too. I think maybe we should talk to Dita tonight, see how she feels about it."

"Okay, baby, good idea." Janet smiled at her lover. They were coming to the end of this special 'family time', as Janet was having to return to work the next day, and Sam the following Monday. Despite Sam's injuries, the time they had spent together, just the four of them, had been precious and none of them would ever forget it. Perdita and Cassie had bonded totally, and Perdita looked up to her older sister with something that was little short of adoration. Cassie, for her part, adored the tough, brave little girl who had come into their lives so unexpectedly.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Perdita was unusually subdued during lunch, though, and only picked at her food. As soon as she could decently escape, she sidled away and headed for the garden.

"What's up with Deetie?" Janet asked Cassandra.

Cassie shrugged, "No idea, mom, she was fine earlier. But looks like something's bugging her now."

"Maybe she just wants some time to herself," Sam suggested, "let's give her an hour or so. If she doesn't come back in then, we'll go after he." Sam knew that Perdita has been used to spending all her time alone, and she worried that perhaps this close-knit family could sometimes get too much for her.

"Good idea, hon," Janet squeezed her arm, "see how it goes."

After nearly two hours, though, there was no sign that Perdita was going to come back in the house of her own accord. Sam was beginning to worry.

"I'll go," Cassie said, when Sam voiced her concerns. "She might talk to me, you never know. She won't want to say anything that she thinks might upset you Sam, she thinks the world of you."

So she went into the garden to look for her little sister. She couldn't see her anywhere, until she saw a small form in the corner of the tent. This was unusual for Perdita, usually she only went to the tent at night, and she'd been there less and less often in the last couple of weeks. But yes, that was definitely her in the corner, huddled with her knees drawn up to her chest, rocking slowly. Cassie realized something was wrong.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Sam was despondent; she had no idea what had upset Perdita, who had seemed cheerful and upbeat earlier in the day. "She'll talk to Cassie, baby," Janet put her arms round round her lover. "It'll be okay."

"I know, hon," Sam told her, "I'm just sad she couldn't talk to me. I'm supposed to be her mom now, and she's too scared to even talk to me." Tears gathered in her eyes; she felt so helpless, and guilty - she felt she had let Perdita down.

"Sam, listen to me," Janet said. "None of us know what's wrong with Deetie. But one thing I do know; she isn't scared of you. She loves you, more than any of us. More than Cassie, even, and she adores Cassie. Let's leave them be for a while, see what Cass comes up with."

Sam nodded miserably.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

It was nearly 20 minutes later that Cassie returned to the house. She took Sam into the living room, and Janet could see her talking seriously to her for several minutes. She left them alone until she saw Cassie wrapping Sam in a huge hug. She then entered the living room. "Everything okay?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"Dita can't read, honey," Sam's voice hitched as she told her. "I never even guessed. She heard us talking about sending her to school, and she panicked. What sort of a mother am I if I didn't even know something as important as that?"

Janet was stunned. "Wow. Well I never guessed either, baby. It just never occurred to me. I mean, it's not something I thought of. Don't beat yourself up Sam," she took her hand. "We all missed it. And, for the record, you're a spectacular mom. Just ask Deetie. And Cassie."

Cassie nodded. "Yep," she smiled. "I wouldn't swap either of my moms for anything. You've both been amazing. I mean, most of the time. I could probably live without you ever cooking for me again, Sam," she grinned wickedly, deliberately teasing her second mother to lighten the atmosphere, "but apart from that, I'd say you two are about perfect."

"You still angling for that new CD?" Janet teased her back.

"Did it work?" Cassie grinned.

"Nice try kiddo," Sam hugged her close.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," Cassie smiled.

"Cass?" Sam was serious again. "D'you think Dita would mind if I go talk to her?"

"I think she wants you to, Sam," Cassie said.

Sam took a deep breath. "Okay then," she said.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

"Dita?" Sam bent down at the tent door. "Room for a little one in there?"

Perdita's voice was muffled. "You're not little, Sam, you're like nine feet tall."

"Not quite, baby," Sam smiled, "close though. Can I come in?"

"Okay," Perdita's voice was small and scared.

Sam crawled into the tent. She didn't want to startle Perdita, or intrude on her personal space. So she just quietly lay down, next to the huddled child, and put one hand behind her head. "It's real nice in here, isn't it, Dita? I'm not surprised you like to come here. Look at that spider," she pointed to a spider that was caught between the inner and outer layers of the tent. "Looks like he's watching us." And it was true, as soon as Sam started speaking, the spider stopped moving, and for all the world seemed to be listening intently to her.

"Where?" despite her distress, Perdita was interested.

"Lie down next to me, sweetie, and look straight up," Sam told her.

So Perdita lay down, close to Sam but not quite touching, and looked up. Suddenly she saw the spider. She giggled. "It's true, Sam, he's spying on us!"

"And why wouldn't he?" Sam asked. "After all, I'll bet he's never seen anything as interesting as us before!" She smiled, and turned her head to face Perdita. "So Dita," she said, softly. "You okay? I'd hate to think you weren't okay."

"I'm okay, Sam," Perdita answered, her face darkening again. She went quiet for a moment, so Sam remained silent, giving her a chance to get her thoughts together. "I'm sorry, Sam," Perdita suddenly burst out. "I'm sorry I'm so dumb. I know you're, like, some sort of genius. And I can't even read." And to Sam's horror, big hot tears fell from her eyes. She brushed them away angrily. "I can't read Sam," she was almost shouting now. "I'm so stupid."

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. It's all okay," Sam's eyes were filling up in sympathy. Her little girl was so distraught, she just couldn't bear it. "A lot of people can't read and write. And it doesn't make them - or you - stupid. Not for one second. All it means is that nobody taught you. We'll teach you, we'll have you reading in no time at all."

"But you're so smart, Sam," Perdita was wailing now, and not really even listening any more. "Why would you want a daughter who can't even read?"

"I can't be that smart, can I?" Sam's voice was soft and gentle. "Not if I don't even notice that my own daughter has a big problem that's making her unhappy. I can't bear it when you're unhappy, Dita. And it isn't that big of a deal, you know that? We'll start teaching you today, I'll bet that by the time the month is out, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about."

"I started to learn, once," Perdita's voice was only just above a whisper. "My mom was teaching me. But then she got sick. And then..." she looked up at Sam with big, liquid eyes.

"I know, sweetie, I know," Sam took her hand. "I'm sorry I was so stupid I never even thought about it. I can be real dumb sometimes."

"You're never dumb," Perdita squeezed her fingers, and snuggled up next to her. "Will it really be okay, Sam?"

"It really will, Dita, I promise you. I have an idea, we can ask Daniel to help out. He's a linguist, he knows _all_ about language, and he's done some teaching too. He'll help us work out a schedule. And maybe Catherine and Ernest will want to get involved too. You like them, huh?"

Perdita nodded. She had met Catherine Langford and her fiance Ernest Littlefield only the week before, when they came over to visit Cassandra. They were her unofficial godparents, and they took a great interest in her. Both Catherine and Ernest had been entranced by Perdita. After spending more than 50 years in solitude on an abandoned planet, Ernest had a better idea than most what it was like to survive on your own. Though of course he didn't know what it was like to do it at the age of only six. "Ernest is funny," Perdita said. "He showed me a trick he did with a pack of cards. And he found a silver dollar in my ear!"

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" Sam smiled. "So shall we talk to them, d'you think?"

"I think that would be okay," Perdita's voice was still unsure. "Will you do it for me?"

"I'll do it all," Sam reassured her. "That's my job. I'll look after you Dita."

"Sam?" Perdita laced her fingers through Sam's.

"Yes, honey?"

"You're a great mom. I love you." Perdita snuggled closer into her side.

Sam's breath hitched. "And I love you too, Dita. So much."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

Sam and Janet sat down that evening, and discussed their plans for Perdita's education in detail. They decided it would be better if she didn't start school after the summer vacation, and that they would all spend the next semester teaching her not only to read, but also all about the customs on Earth, and how to fit in without appearing 'alien'. She would then start school the following semester, by which time she should be all caught up and ready.

Sam called Daniel, and Catherine and Ernest, and they were all delighted to be invited to help out in the child's education. Catherine and Ernest even volunteered to take her for a full day every Friday. "It'll be great, Sam," Catherine enthused. "We can do things like take her bowling, going to the zoo, flying kites. All the things that Ernest and I missed out on when we didn't have children ourselves. And don't worry," she laughed, "we'll work too. She'll be reading and writing fluently before you know it. She's a smart child, Sam," Catherine reassured her.

"Oh I know that Catherine; she real smart. She's just been a bit knocked off balance by this, and she's already had enough to deal with in her life," Sam said.

"Well we'll make it fun, I promise," Catherine told her, "And Ernest and I will enjoy having her around; she'll bring some life to the place."

Daniel was equally enthusiastic. Sam realized what a good move it had been enlisting him; who better, after all, not only to help with written language, but to help Perdita adapt to an alien environment without standing out?

"She'll have to come into the base with us sometimes, you realize that?" Sam was talking to Janet.

"I know, honey, but that should be fine," Janet agreed. "We can both set up a corner for her, I'll find room in my office, and you can do the same in your lab. And when neither of us is around, there'll always be somebody who can help out. It'll only be for a couple of months. Teal'c's always nagging that he wants to see her more often. And I can just tell that General Hammond's itching to take her to meet his granddaughters. She'll be spoilt for choice!"

Sam smiled. "And we can still work at the shelter on Fridays," she hadn't forgotten her promise to Janet. "After we drop her off at Catherine's."

"You still want to work at the shelter?" Janet was touched.

"I really do," Sam told her. "And I plan to start next week, now that this," she pointed to her arm and shoulder, "is so much better."

"Week after," Janet advised. "Just to be sure."

"Okay, hon," Sam smiled. "Doctor knows best!"

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

The 'education program' worked like clockwork. Once Sam had finally convinced Perdita that she was far from dumb, the small girl embarked on her literacy lessons with real enthusiasm. Within two days, she had a full grasp of the alphabet, and it seemed like in every lesson she had after that, she came on in leaps and bounds. By the time she was taken to Daniel for her first 'official' lesson, he refused to believe that only four days before she had not been able to read at all.

Catherine and Ernest, too, loved spending time with Perdita; they were the only ones, it seemed, who used her full name these days. Sam refused to budge from 'Dita', as that was what Perdita had asked her to call her. And most everybody else was using 'Deetie', courtesy of Cassie's penchant for nicknames. Cassie herself could have called Perdita anything she wanted, the girl would still have answered. As far as Perdita was concerned, Cassie could do no wrong. So she responded happily to 'Deetie', 'Deet', and even 'Eeta', depending on Cassie's mood. But most of the time it was the rather cute 'Deetie', which all agreed suited her perfectly.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

After three weeks of lessons, Sam and Janet went to collect Perdita from Catherine and Ernest's. "Hey, sweetie, d'you have a good day?" Sam asked her, as the child flung herself enthusiastically into her favorite person's arms.

"You bet," Perdita told her. "Did you know, Sam, that it's the daddy penguins who have to do all the hard work? The moms leave them for _ages_ while they look after the eggs. Isn't that amazing?"

"It sure is Dita," Sam answered. "Not often you find a man who'll do all the work!"

They all laughed. "So you went to the zoo, I guess?" Sam said to Catherine.

Catherine smiled, "We did, and Perdita read the printed guide and told us where we should go next."

"You did?" Sam turned to Perdita. "Oh honey, I'm so proud of you."

Perdita smiled shyly. "It's not that hard really, reading, is it?"

"Show her what you bought at the mall," Catherine prompted.

Perdita took a bag out of her coat pocket. "I wanted to get something nice for Cassie. And I found it all by myself, Sam. I really did, I read the label." She proudly showed her the CD that she had bought for Cassie; the exact same one that Cassie had been nagging Janet and Sam for.

"Oh Dita," Sam was choked. "She's gonna love it."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSG**

"Hey Deet!" Cassie waved as the car drew up at the house; she'd already been home for fifteen minutes.

Cassie smiled and waved. She got out of the car, and went up to Cassie. Sam and Janet hung back quietly, and saw their younger daughter present Cassandra with the plastic bag containing the CD. Cassie exclaimed with joy, and swept her sister up in her arms. Sam didn't think she had ever felt so proud.

"Sam, Mom, look what Deetie got me!" Cassie called over to her parents, who came over and exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Cassandra Fraiser, do I see tears in your eyes?" Janet asked her, teasing her affectionately.

For once, Cassie did not try to turn it into a joke. "She found it herself, Mom. She read the label. All by herself. Don't you think she's amazing?"

"Yes, Cass," Janet answered. "Both our girls are amazing."

Sam smiled her agreement. "The best," she said.


	4. Chapter 4 Getting Into a Routine

It was a little strange for Perdita to be back at the SGC. When she had first come to the mountain, she had arrived directly from her home planet, and she felt frightened and alone, able only to trust Teal'c and Sam - and she hadn't then even been sure that Sam would survive her injuries.

So coming back, with Sam and Janet, was weird. As they got out of the car in the SGC underground parking lot, a big, black truck drew up next to them. A familiar figure jumped down from the truck.

"Hey Carter, Doc!" O'Neill called breezily. "Good to see you without the... thing," he gestured in the general area of his arm.

"Hi Sir," Sam replied, "Janet says I don't have to wear the sling any more, which is great, I hate those things."

"Don't we all Carter," he replied with feeling, "don't we all!"

For the first time, he looked down and noticed Perdita who was trying her best to be inconspicuous, hiding slightly behind Sam's legs. He bent down to her level. "Well," he said, gently, "if it isn't my favorite girl in the whole world!" He grinned widely, and she gave him a small, shy smile in return.

"Don't let Cassie hear you say that!" Sam was laughing. "She takes great pride in her role as your _original_ favorite girl."

"Oh Cassie knows I'm fickle," O'Neill grinned. "And she's still my favorite too. You both are!" and he gestured emphatically to make his point. "Anyway," his voice got softer again, as he looked Perdita straight in the eye, "you settling in okay, kiddo?"

Perdita nodded. "Yes," she replied in a small voice. "I like it here."

"That's good," he smiled, "you won't find many better places than with these two," he nodded at Sam and Janet. "And I reckon your big sister's okay too."

Perdita smiled. "Cassie's great," she said. "She's shown me lots of things, and says she'll show me a lot more."

"You ready for a day at the coal-face then?" O'Neill said.

Perdita looked confused.

"Don't worry, Dita," Sam said, with a laugh in her voice. "The colonel's just kidding. He's just wondering if you're all set for a day here. We're gonna have a great day, it's all planned. Dita will be with me for the first couple of hours, while I catch up on my emails and so forth. Then Teal'c is going to give her a guided tour of the base, so I can touch base with Dr Lee and the other... eggheads," she grinned at O'Neill, she knew he loved it when she used his terminology. "Then she's gonna join us for lunch, and after lunch she'll spend an hour with Daniel," she didn't specify that he would be helping her with her literacy. Perdita deserved some privacy, and there was no need for her reading problems to be broadcast round the base. O'Neill knew about it anyway, but Sam felt that it was better to keep all discussion of the subject to a minimum when out in public. "After that," she continued, "she's going with Janet to the Academy Hospital, where Janet'll show her round, and then set her up in a corner in her office. It's going to be a full day, isn't it Dita?"

Perdita smiled. She was still nervous as all get-out, but she was determined to do as Sam asked her, and if that meant following that itinerary, then that's what she would do. And when she thought about it, she realized that she'd be with someone she loved all day. After leaving her beloved Sam, Teal'c was going to show her around. And Teal'c was kind, and gentle, and she always felt safe with him. She liked Daniel too, who had come to the house on several occasions, and had also been at Catherine and Ernest's on one of her visits. She loved Janet, too, and had completely forgotten that she had once thought her a 'scary lady'. Janet was warm and loving, and kind, and funny. It would be a good day, she decided.

Once they got to Sam's lab, she soon settled down in a specially designated corner. Sam set her up with paper and crayons. Perdita loved drawing, so Sam thought this would be a nice easy start to the day for her. "You okay, Dita?" she asked her, once the girl had sat down. "Okay if I get on with my emails and stuff?"

"I'm good, Sam," Perdita answered. "I like it here."

"That's great, honey," Sam gave her daughter a warm hug. She turned to her computer. Sam had been strictly instructed by Janet that she was to stick to light duties only, so she was doing as she had been told. As part of her promise to make life easier for Janet, she was trying not to make a fuss when she was told to 'take it easy'. All her instincts made her want to get back to full strength as soon as possible, but she knew that Janet knew best. And she had made a promise, and was determined to keep it. So if that meant a couple more weeks on 'desk duty', then she would stick to that, and gladly.

At 1000hrs, Teal'c appeared at the door. "Good morning Major Carter," he intoned. "I am here to accompany Perdita on a tour of the base, should she wish to join me."

Perdita looked up and smiled. She loved Teal'c, she liked his old-fashioned gentlemanly way of speaking. She also felt safe with the gentle giant. "Hi Teal'c," she said. "I'd really like to come."

"Then we will depart," he nodded at Sam, "and we will meet you at the commissary for lunch at 1230hrs."

"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam flashed him a wide smile. "See you both later then. See you take care of my Dita. And Dita, see you take care of Teal'c!"

Both of them smiled at her, and Sam's heart filled with pleasure to see her daughter slip her hand into Teal'c's. Sam knew that he would be safe with her.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Sam used her time to catch up with Dr Lee, and to find out what had been happening in her absence.

Perdita was taken round the base by Teal'c, and introduced to everybody they came across. Without exception, everyone was charmed by this small girl who had showed such pluck and determination. It didn't hurt that Sam was probably the most popular person on base; she was an integral part of the Stargate team, and she was beautiful and brilliant, but she was also humble and had a reputation for treating all those she came across with kindness and respect. Some people in her position would have let their importance to the team go to their heads, but Sam had never done that. So any 'daughter' of hers, however she came about, already had an advantage.

Siler took time out of his day to explain much of the technical equipment to Perdita, and the girl was fascinated. In the few short weeks she had spent on Earth, she had already mastered basic computer usage, and now this clever man was explaining the use of a MALP's remote control system to her. Siler, for his part, was impressed with how this tiny girl seemed to grasp complicated concepts, and asked him all manner of intelligent questions.

The thing that really thrilled Perdita was her introduction to the control room. She had been through the 'gate just that one time, and had then been too traumatized, and scared, to really take it in. Now, however, that nice Sergeant Harriman was telling her all about it, showing her the palm device, and explaining how the iris worked. The greatest thrill for her, though, was when he told her they would shortly be dialing out to to Beta site, so that Major Carter could talk to the tech team on the planet. "We won't tell Major Carter," he said to her conspiratorially, "but you can do my job when we start to dial. So when she comes down here, she'll see a new technician sitting at the desk!" Perdita giggled with glee.

And that was exactly what happened. Twenty minutes later, after Walter had gone through all the procedure with a fine toothcomb, Perdita was ready to assume her role. So when Sam came down the stairs to the control room just as the 'gate was dialing, she was astounded to hear a very familiar voice saying, "chevron six engaged, chevron seven LOCKED!" Perdita looked up, still wearing her headphones, and grinned hugely at Sam.

"Dita!" Sam swept her up in her arms. "You'll be taking over my job before I know it!" Perdita giggled again; Sam thought she could never get enough of that sweet sound.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGS**

After lunch, Perdita spent an hour with Daniel, who she was starting to love more and more. He was kind and gentle, and could be funny too. Half-way through their 'lesson', the colonel came to see how they were doing, and she laughed inwardly when Daniel sent him packing, telling him they had more important things to do. She could see the glint of humor in Daniel's eye when he spoke, though, and 'Uncle Jack's' reaction made it obvious that he was used it.

After her lesson, Janet came to collect her to take her to the Academy Hospital. She was a bit scared by the size of the place, but Janet held her hand and reassured her that everything was okay. She then took her to her office, and Perdita sat in the corner, while Janet caught up on some reports.

After a while, Janet set off to do her rounds, leaving Perdita happily drawing in 'her' corner of the office. Janet returned to the office just before 1700hrs, and was just about to set off home with Perdita when her pager beeped. "Shit!" she said, before covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment at having cursed in front of the child. Perdita giggled. "Sorry, Deetie," she told her, "I shouldn't have said that. But I've just been called to an airman with a broken wrist. I'm afraid we're gonna be home late."

"That's okay," Perdita smiled. "I'm fine here."

Janet hugged her briefly. "I'll get Sharon to drop in on you," Janet spoke of her head nurse, who had already met Perdita, and with whom Perdita was quite comfortable. "And I'll be as quick as possible."

In the end, it was over 90 minutes later that Janet returned, and they were able to make their way home.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Drawing up to the house, Janet was amused to see Sam come to the door, arms crossed in a mock-scolding posture, looking for all the world like an angry housewife berating a drunken husband on his return from a bar. "And just what time do you call this?" Sam demanded, unable to hide her smile. "I expect my dinner on the table when I come home!"

Janet made her way over to her, and pulled her into a deep kiss. "Some things," she told her lover with a suggestive smile, "some things are worth waiting for!" Unseen by any onlookers, she ran her hand up Sam's front, causing Sam to squeak in a most undignified manner.

Sam laughed. "Hey sweetie," she said, "we missed you. But don't worry, I was only kidding, you don't have to make dinner. It's all organized."

"Samantha Carter!" Janet protested. "Don't tell me you've been cooking? I thought we had an agreement after what happened last time."

"Oh be fair, honey," Sam whined. "Anybody can make a mistake."

"Not when that mistake means replacing a whole worktop, AND a microwave they can't!" Janet's tone was scolding. "I hate to think what the damage is this time!"

Sam grinned. "Look behind you," she said, "dinner, all ready, all your favorites. And not even a dish dirtied!"

Janet looked and saw a van with 'Mr Chan's Delicious Doorstep Deliveries' on it draw up to the curb. "Oh thank God for that!" she breathed.

Perdita watched this exchange with amusement. She guessed she would have to get used to her parents' teasing. And if what Cassie told her was right, Sam really couldn't cook. She had regaled her younger sister with tales of burned, raw and downright inedible food that Sam had attempted to cook in the early days when she and Janet had not long gotten together, and Cassie had only just been rescued from the planet. After too many disasters, it was agreed that the kitchen was Janet's domain; Sam was to stick to DIY and auto repairs. It was an arrangement that worked well.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGS**

"It was kind of weird," Sam said to Janet later that night in bed. "Being home, and waiting on you." She leaned up on her elbow. "I didn't like it," she said, sounding almost shame-faced. "This house isn't right without you in it. It must be hard for you sometimes, huh, when you're waiting for me to get back?"

Janet looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, honey," she said, honestly, "sometimes it's real hard, especially when I know something's gone wrong. But you know what, baby?" Sam looked up. "It's worth the wait. Every time. Sam, listen to me," she could see the emotions in Sam's face. "I'm never gonna go off on you like before. I know you're making a real effort now, and that's all I can ask of you - not to take unnecessary risks, not to put yourself on the line too much. And," she smiled, "you're even following doctor's orders, which is something of a miracle. So yes, it'll be hard next time you're late, or hurt, or missing," she wiped away the tear that had dropped unbidden from her eye. "But all you have to do to make it better is just to keep coming back to me. To us, to me, to Cass, to Deetie. We all love you so much, sweetie."

"You really are an extraordinary woman," Sam's voice shook. "Sometimes I forget how strong you are. I mean, I go off, visit other worlds, get into firefights, come back all knocked about. But you're the really brave one, Jan. I don't know how you can do it, but I'm so happy that you can. Because my life would be nothing without you and the girls. I love you Janet. I want to make you happy."

"You do Sam," Janet said simply, and she leant forward and kissed her, running her hand through Sam's golden locks. "You do."


	5. Chapter 5 Miscalculation

As she got ready for bed, Sam winced as she tried to remove her t-shirt. It seemed to her that her shoulder had improved just so far, but that the improvement had slowed dramatically or even, as she felt that night, stopped completely. She didn't make a fuss though, she was just glad to be alive. And she didn't want to worry Janet any more than necessary. But the pain was really sharp. "Shit," she swore, under her breath. She hadn't realized that Janet had just emerged from the bathroom.

"It's not getting any better, is it Sam?" Janet asked her in a quiet voice.

Sam was about to demur, but remembered her promise to her lover. "Not really," she admitted in a pained voice. "I'm sure it'll clear up soon, honey, I think maybe I've dislocated it one too many times," she tried to make light of the situation. And she was right, this was the third time she had dislocated that particular shoulder.

"Let me see, baby," Janet coaxed, and helped her to remove her shirt. She then unhooked her bra, and let it fall to the ground. She loved Sam's back, strong and sinewy, yet still soft and feminine. She reached out and very gently manipulated the sore joint. "Shit Sam," she said, "no wonder it hurts, you're full of knots." She knew that was inevitable; with any injury, it was human nature to try and compensate with 'unnatural' movements, putting an added strain on the body. "Wait there," Janet said, and went off to get the massage oil. The two lovers often massaged each other in bed, but this time it was more about relieving pain than eroticism. Though, thought Janet, if things developed in the process all the better. Sam was having similar thoughts; she always did when she felt Janet's hands on her.

"I want you to have another MRI tomorrow, Sam," Janet told her as she pushed her gently onto her front and started to work her strong fingers into all the right places. "Just so I can see exactly what's going on in there, see if we can't find a way to speed things up."

"Okay, sweetie," Sam's voice was slightly slurred. Janet loved this about Sam; whenever Janet started to massage her, she became immediately drowsy and almost puppy-like. "I've got to talk to Siler in the morning about the MALP upgrades, but after that, I'm all yours."

"All mine, huh?" Janet smirked. "That's what I like to hear."

"Always," Sam told her with feeling.

**SGSGSGSGSG**

Perdita was starting to settle in at the SGC. As she got to know more and more people, she grew in confidence and, by the end of the second day, was quite happy to march along the corridors on her own - only those corridors that held Sam's lab, or Janet's office, that is, she did like to have the security of knowing she could always scuttle back to them if the need should arise.

So that next morning, the small family arrived at the SGC early as always. They had all seen very little of Cassie during that week, as she had had many days out with her schoolfriends. Sam and Janet also noted, with some amusement, that the name 'Dominic' had been dropped, rather too casually, into daily conversations recently. They didn't ask her directly about him, but it was becoming clear that he was, to say the least, a very special friend to her.

Cassie was still very considerate of Perdita, though. Despite being out most of the day, and often in the evenings, she made time each day to talk to her sister, and to make her feel special. And Perdita was very excited, as Cassie had promised to take her to the park on Saturday with all of her friends, including the fabled Dominic. So she looked forward greatly to that treat.

"You're a good kid," Sam had told her elder daughter. "We see what you're doing, and we want you to know we appreciate it."

Cassie tried to shrug off the compliment. "It's a big step for her," she reminded Sam, "she loves being here - she especially loves you, Sam - but she's still adjusting to a whole new planet. And I'd hate her to think that I didn't want to spend time with her. And my friends will all love her."

"Even Dominic?" Sam asked, in a teasing voice.

"Even Dominic," Cassie refused to be drawn on the subject of her mystery boyfriend. But, as she walked off, she turned round and gave Sam a broad wink. Sam laughed.

So on that Thursday morning, Perdita made her way straight to Sam's lab, while Sam looked in on Siler in the MALP room. It was half an hour later when Sam finally reached the lab, and she was touched to see that Perdita had already put the coffee machine on, so a full pot was bubbling away in the corner. "Dita, you are a life saver!" she exclaimed, as she entered, and she poured herself a large mugful. "I'm gonna miss having you here when you go to school."

At the mention of school, Perdita's face darkened, and Sam could see she was trying not to let the fear in her face show.

"It's okay, Dita, you're not going next week," Sam told her. Perdita knew that Cassie was due back at school on the Monday. "You're going to spend the semester with us, remember? We want you to be ready, and happy about it, before you go to school."

The look of relief on Perdita's face was palpable. Sam went over to her and rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's just that when you do go eventually, I'll miss you. And," she pulled a face, "I'll have to make my own coffee in the mornings!"

Perdita grinned.

"Are you okay to spend the afternoon with Janet, sweetie?" Sam asked her. "They're having trouble with one of the computers at the Beta site, they want me to write a program to help them out. So I'll be going back and forth from here to the control room to talk them through it."

"Is Janet at the hospital this afternoon?" Perdita asked, with a hint of trepidation in her voice. She still didn't feel entirely comfortable there, preferring the security of the SGC where everybody seemed to know who she was, even those she hadn't met.

"No, Dita, she's in the infirmary this afternoon, so you'll be in her office, is that okay?" Sam didn't want to put pressure on her, and she knew that Teal'c or Daniel would be more than happy to take her.

"I like her office here," Perdita said, "it's comfy. That's where I first met Cassie."

"So it is, Dita, so it is," Sam smiled. "That's settled then. I'll see you there anyway some time, Janet's hauling me in for an MRI, so I'll stick my head round the door."

**SGSGSGSGSG**

Sam and Perdita met Janet for lunch in the commissary. Being on 'desk duty' meant that Sam was more often able to take her lunch at a sensible time, and the real bonus was that she spent most lunchtimes with Janet. She was becoming increasingly dependent on seeing Janet often, and wondered how she would cope when she returned to active duty. This was the first time that she hadn't been itching to get back out in the field, and she knew it was partly to do with wanting to be around for Perdita, and partly because she was relishing all the extra time she was spending with her lover.

Just as they were finishing up, however, an airman skidded into the commissary. "Major Carter!" he called. "Are you free? There's a problem with the dialing program at the Beta site, Captain Bowman is worried."

Sam smiled at Janet and Perdita. "You two okay if I go?" she asked, though she was already on her feet and clearly ready to run.

"Go!" Janet laughed. "We'll see you later."

**SGSGSGSGSG**

As it turned out, she saw Sam earlier than she had thought she would. Only 15 minutes later, Sam sidled into the infirmary. Janet could see by the look on her face that she wanted something. "Spill, Sam," she told her, but not without humor.

"I know I'm not cleared for active duty," Sam started, and at that Janet's heart dropped. "And if you say 'no' hon, then that's fine. I'll do what you say, no arguments I swear."

"Go on," Janet's voice hardened slightly.

"It's the Beta site. I'm writing a patch for their dialing program, but their top 'geek' there, Bowman, well he's... he's rather dense, not to put too fine a point on it. So I'd like to go and run it for them at the site. Before you say anything," she could see Janet about to object. "I want you to know that there are _no_ hostiles on that planet, at all. And I wouldn't be going geared up, I'd just be spending 40 minutes at their computer, an hour tops. And," she was gabbling now, "Teal'c has said he'll come along as my babysitter, he'll make sure no harm will come to me. What d'you say hon? I won't mind if you say no, I swear, I won't make a fuss."

"An hour, you say?" Janet was suspicious.

"Less, I'd say. Certainly no more. And," Sam laughed, "you can order Teal'c to haul my ass back to the SGC if he even starts to suspect I'll be more than an hour."

"And no P90?" Janet asked, knowing that Sam's shoulder wasn't up to firing the weapon anyway.

"I swear," Sam said. "I'll have my hand gun, but that's all."

"If I say yes," Sam's eyes lit up at Janet's words, "you have to promise that you'll come straight back to the infirmary, so I can give you that MRI. Is that a deal?"

"It sure is, sweetie. Are you really okay with it? I don't want you to think I'm ignoring doctor's orders," Sam looked tense.

Janet laughed. "Yes, hon, that all sounds fine. And I'll be having a word with Teal'c, so that he drags you off that computer the moment your hour is up."

"Thanks Jan," Sam's smile nearly split her face in two. "I'll be so careful you wouldn't believe it." She looked around and, seeing no-one around, she pulled Janet gently behind one of the screens where there was no security camera. She put her hand round the back of Janet's head and drew her into a long, soft, languorous kiss. "Hold that thought, sweetie," she breathed. "We'll finish off tonight."

**SGSGSGSGSG**

Within 20 minutes, Sam was ready in the 'gate room, with the loyal Teal'c at her side. Janet brought Perdita to the control room, where Walter encouraged the young girl to give the countdown to the kawoosh. When Sam heard her daughter's voice saying "chevron seven, locked," she looked up, with a lump in her throat, and smiled and waved at her lover and her daughter as she stepped through the wormhole with Teal'c.

When she arrived at the Beta site, she was glad for the stolid Teal'c's presence; the journey through was rough, and she stumbled violently on her feet and it was only Teal'c's strong arm round her waist that stopped her crashing into the wall by the 'gate.

"What in the hell was that?" she demanded angrily. She was shaken up; she couldn't bear the thought of returning injured to Janet, after she had promised her she'd be careful.

"Sorry, Major," Bowman said. "We need to update the computer to compensate for stellar drift. The ride's a little rough right now, but once we work out exactly how to compensate for it, it'll be a lot more comfortable. Nobody's broken any bones so far anyway," and he snickered unattractively.

Sam was furious. "No thanks to you," she spat. "Don't you idiots realize how simple it is to calculate the amendments? Somebody could be seriously injured, this job's got enough risks to it as it is."

Bowman had the grace to look slightly shamefaced. "Here!" Sam snapped, as she got out her notebook. She drew a basic diagram showing him exactly where the problem lay. She got out her handheld computer, made a few calculations. "There, -5, that's all you need. See that it's implemented before my return trip, you've got 40 minutes," and she angrily thrust the notebook at the hapless captain.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed. Teal'c glowered at him, so he knew he had better do as he was instructed.

In the event, Sam ran her update, tested it and tweaked a few other things on the computer in just 35 minutes. "Ready for the ride back, Teal'c?" she smiled. "And if Bowman's done what he should, it'll be a lot smoother on the way back."

"Indeed," Teal'c responded, though Sam was sure she could detect a hint of a smile in his countenance. She wondered if he knew just how often he said "indeed".

"It's all done, Major," Bowman was almost swaggering. "Trip back'll be like traveling Club Class." His body language was obnoxious; he acted as though he was the one who had calculated the amendments, and was expecting her to give him credit for it.

"I should hope so," Sam retorted. "I can't begin to imagine why you let it lapse for so long. See that it doesn't happen again." It was rare that Sam was so snarky, but this jerk was really asking for it. "Dial it up," she instructed him coldly.

Teal'c glanced at her as they stepped through the wormhole, and she couldn't believe her eyes as he winked conspiratorially.

**SGSGSGSGSG**

As the wormhole flared at the SGC, Janet was already waiting in the 'gate room. She had been passing when she heard the activation klaxon, so she thought she'd 'remind' her lover of her promise to visit the infirmary for her MRI. Though, Janet mused, she was pretty sure Sam would have come of her own accord; she was making a real effort to co-operate, and Janet was grateful for this.

She wasn't prepared, however, for the sight of Teal'c cannoning out of the wormhole at high speed. The big man hit the ramp at a hell of a rate, and ricocheted off the guard rail, eventually landing at the bottom of the steps. He looked shaken, but didn't have any immediately apparent injuries. Janet looked up in trepidation, and just as she did so, Sam exited the wormhole at a terrible speed. She screamed as she hit the guardrail with tremendous force. Because of her lighter weight, and the greater speed of impact, she catapulted right over the rail and landed on her bad shoulder on the concrete floor of the 'gate room, cracking her head against the wall as she went down. By the time Janet ran to her side, she had lost consciousness.

"Medical team, STAT," Janet bellowed. She blanched when she realized that Sam had dislocated the shoulder yet again. She didn't know how badly Sam was concussed, but she did know that she didn't want to give her any sedative until she had had a CAT scan. So she made a quick decision. "Siler!" she barked. The technician rushed to her side. "Hold Major Carter here, I'm going to pop this shoulder back in." So Siler held Sam in his strong arms, as Janet used her strong hands and her knee to manipulate the joint back into place. She hated doing it, but knew that the sooner it was done, the less inflammation and pain there would be afterwards. Sam stirred and moaned, but did not regain consciousness, so Janet knew she had done the right thing.

Soon, Sam was in an infirmary bed, having had both a CAT scan and an MRI. The CAT was clear, so it was just a question of waiting for her to wake up. The MRI showed that, again, the shoulder had undergone a severe trauma. Janet's heart bled for Sam, knowing how much pain she would have to go through, yet again.

Once she was sure Sam would be okay, she turned her attention to Teal'c, who had already been seen by Warner and pronounced fit, if rather bruised. "Teal'c, what the hell happened? I thought the planet was uninhabited, were you running from hostiles?"

Teal'c's expression was grim. "There were no hostiles, Dr Fraiser," he told her. "We were unscathed as we entered the wormhole at a measured pace. I suspect," Janet could see the fury behind his eyes, "that Captain Bowman has made an error in compensating for stellar drift."

He recounted Sam's exchange with the incompetent captain.

"Well that's not acceptable," Janet's blood boiled. "If he made a mistake, or even worse did it deliberately, I'm not going to responsible for my actions."

"Colonel O'Neill is investigating already," Teal'c reassured her. "And I am confident that he will administer whatever punishment is appropriate if blame should be apportioned."

**SGSGSGSGSG**

Two hours later, it was all clear. The idiotic Bowman had not compensated by -5, but rather by +50. Instead of resolving the problems with the rough journey through the wormhole, he had exacerbated them - tenfold.

"That jerk!" O'Neill bellowed when he heard what had happened, "I'm gonna tear him a new... sorry, doc," he said as he saw Janet enter the room. "I'm just mad as hell."

"Oh me too colonel," she responded. "And if you need a blunt scalpel to carry out that... procedure, you just let me know."

He grinned. "How's Carter?" he asked.

Janet's face darkened. "She's okay," she told him, "she's regained consciousness, there's nothing wrong with that thick skull of hers," Janet tried, and failed to smile at her own weak joke. "But she dislocated that shoulder again, she's gonna be in a lot of pain for a while. And I'm worried," her breath hitched, "she may not get back full mobility in the joint. There's only so many times you can put your body through that sort of trauma. Eventually it has to take its toll."

"There must be something we can do?" O'Neill was alarmed. Quite apart from the fact that he didn't want the best 2IC he had ever had to be confined to desk duty, he was very fond of the blonde major. "What about the Tok'ra? Can't they help with a healing device?"

"That would be great, Sir," Janet said. "But Hammond says they can't get a hold of them, haven't been able to for weeks, apparently."

O'Neill knew that was the truth. "The Asgard, then," he pronounced. "If anyone can find the Tok'ra, it's them. I'll get a hold of Thor, tell him to get his little grey butt onto it. And Jacob'd be mad if he didn't help his daughter out."

Janet brightened. "I wish you luck Sir," she said, with real feeling, "Sam's going to need all the help she can get."

O'Neill put his hand on her arm. "We'll fix it, doc, I swear."

Janet believed him.

**SGSGSGSGSG**

In all the commotion, Janet had forgotten all about Perdita, who had been with Daniel last time she had seen her. "Shit!" she exclaimed. "Deetie!"

"It's okay," Sharon, her head nurse, told her. "Dr Jackson's taking care of her."

So Janet set off in search of Daniel.

"Janet!" Perdita shouted when she saw her, and flung herself into her arms. "Something's happened, hasn't it? Daniel says he doesn't know what it is, but it's Sam, isn't it?" tears were streaming down her face. "She's not..." she hiccoughed with fear.

"Deetie," Janet knelt down at her level. "Sam's okay, I swear. Well, she will be. She had a bit of an accident on the way back. She's hurt her shoulder again. But she's okay, just banged up. We can take her home tomorrow, as long as we make sure she's real careful."

"You swear she's okay?" Perdita was inconsolable. "If something's happened to her.." she trailed off.

Janet took her by the shoulders. "She's going to be absolutely fine. She'll be in a lot of pain with her shoulder, though we're gonna try and find a way to fix that as soon as we can."

"I wanna see her," the expression on Perdita's face was mulish.

"Then you can, honey, right away," Janet reassured her. "Though try not to react to the bruises; she's got a real shiner on her face, it'll only worry her more if you look scared." Perdita nodded, and slipped her hand in Janet's. "And she's on a lot of painkillers, so she may be a little out of it. But she'll feel better when she sees you."

"Okay," Perdita whispered.

Minutes later, Janet opened the door to Sam's private room. The lights were low; bright lights only made Sam's headache worse. But Perdita could still see the angry bruise on her cheek. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing well, and looked relatively healthy, apart from the heavily strapped shoulder. As Perdita approached the bed quietly, Sam's eyes opened. "Hey Dita," she said in a quiet voice, "how you doin'?"

"I'm okay Sam," Perdita answered. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

"Well I feel better just seeing you here, sweetie," Sam told her, and reached out to take her small hand. "And it's okay, I'll be just fine soon."

"Sooner rather than later, if we manage to get a hold of your Dad," Janet told her. "The colonel's getting the Asgard on the case. A few blasts of that healing device and you'll be good as new."

Sam nodded, her eyes closing. "Good," she whispered as she drifted off. "Wan' Dad to meet Dita." She was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 of 7 Jacob

"So Deetie," Janet turned to Perdita, who seemed fixed to the spot at Sam's bedside. "You had any dinner yet?"

"Not hungry," Perdita said, her eyes still glued to Sam's sleeping form.

"You've got to eat, honey," Janet said gently. "Sam'd be mad with you if you made yourself sick just 'cos you were worried about her."

Perdita looked guilty.

"I'll call Teal'c, huh? He can take you to the commissary. What d'you say to that?"

Perdita nodded. "Okay," she whispered.

"And don't worry about Sam," Janet reassured, "I'll be with her all the time, she won't be alone. And Deetie," the child looked up at her with huge eyes, "she's gonna be fine, I swear to you. It's just her shoulder." She drew the child into a tight hug. "It's all going to be okay, sweetie."

After Teal'c had collected Perdita to take her for something to eat, Janet picked up the 'phone and called Cassandra. She didn't want to have to break the news that, yet again, Sam had been injured, but she knew Cassie would want to know. The teen took the news well but was, predictably, keen to see Sam for herself. "I'll ask Daniel to come get you honey," Janet promised.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Within 20 minutes, Perdita was back in Sam's room. Janet laughed when she saw her. "Couldn't keep away Deetie?" she asked. "Well okay, but not for long. You need your sleep too." The look of disappointment on Perdita's face was touching. "Tell you what, sweetie," she compromised. "You stay here with me until Cassie comes, then you two can spend the night in our quarters. After all," she said, ruefully, "Sam and I aren't going to sleep there tonight; Sam's not going anywhere, and I think I'll spend the night in here, just in case she gets nightmares."

Janet wasn't making excuses about wanting to stay with her lover, though she probably would have stayed anyway. Sam often had terrible nightmares with morphine, and she couldn't bear the idea of her waking, frightened and alone. So she had already resolved to spend the night with her.

"Okay," Perdita brightened, and climbed into Janet's lap.

O'Neill had earlier brought in a comfortable chair from his, rarely used, office. "Forgotten I had this, Doc," he had grinned as he maneuvered the high-back winged chair into the room, "thought you might like this if you're staying with Carter for a while." Janet had smiled in gratitude.

So there was plenty of room for her and the tiny Perdita, and if Janet was honest, she was herself reassured by the warm presence of this affectionate child. It was hard to believe that only a few short weeks ago, Perdita had been wary of her and kept out of her way; now she was as affectionate as a puppy, and like nothing more than to be held. Of course, Sam's arms were top of her list, but Janet's were a good substitute, as were Cassie's. Janet squeezed her tight. "I'm so glad you came into our lives, Deetie," she whispered into her ear.

"Me too," Perdita's voice was muffled and sleepy. Within a few minutes, the exhausted child was fast asleep.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Almost an hour later, Cassie quietly opened the door to Sam's room. She smiled at her mother, who looked up as she saw the door opening.

"Hey Mom," she whispered. She saw the drawn look on Janet's face, but smiled to see both Sam and Perdita sleeping peacefully. "She okay?" she nodded at Sam.

"She'll be fine, Cass," Janet's voice was also muted, she didn't want to wake either of the others. "Her shoulder's been seriously compromised again, though, so we're trying to get a hold of Jacob, so he can use the healing device. But she's not in any danger."

Perdita stirred in Janet's arms. She smiled when she saw Cassie.

"Hey, Deet," Cassie smiled affectionately at her sister. "You gonna come to me?" and she held out her arms. "Mom'll be getting stiff there, I'll bet."

Perdita nodded her assent, so Cassandra gathered her up and held her tight. The child weighed little more than an average four-year-old, so Cassie was easily able to carry her.

"Sit for a moment," Janet got up from her chair and stretched, her joints popping satisfactorily. She gently pushed her daughters into her chair, and went over to Sam's bed to check everything was okay. When she had satisfied herself that all was in order, she put her hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "I thought maybe you and Deetie could spend the night in our quarters? You should find most of what you need in there, though you'll probably have to wear Sam's pajamas hon. I think mine may be a bit small for you these days!"

Cassie grinned. "What about you, Mom? You can't spend the whole night in that chair."

"I'll get a gurney," Janet reassured her, "don't you worry about me. I just don't want to leave her, Cass, you know how she can get with morphine. She's had a bad enough day as it is."

"So have you Mom," Cassie's voice was serious. "I thought she was supposed to be on desk duty anyway?"

"It's not her fault," Janet was quick to defend her lover. "It was less than an hour at the Beta site. It's all the fault of some jerk who input the wrong information into the dialing computer. The mission itself was a piece of cake." She could see the look of fury on Cassandra's face. "Don't worry, honey, your Uncle Jack's going to see he's punished for his stupidity. And if he doesn't, *I* will. He's not going to get away with it."

Cassie nodded. "Well I'd better get Deet to bed, huh?" She smiled as she looked down at the sleeping form of her baby sister. She marveled at Perdita's ability to drop off anywhere.

"You're a good kid, Cass," Janet said, and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. "Sleep well, both of you."

"You too, Mom," Cassie said, as she rose to her feet, her small burden still in her arms. Janet held the door open for her as she exited.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Cassie reached Sam and Janet's quarters, and gently laid Perdita down on the bed. Rummaging in the drawer, she found one of Sam's t-shirts, and smiled as she maneuvered the sleeping child into it. Perdita would certainly not object to her choice of nightwear; she still insisted on wearing one of Sam's t-shirts every night. Sam had had to requisition another bunch of them to make sure there were enough to go round.

Cassandra climbed into a pair of Sam's pajamas; she had to roll up the sleeves and the pant legs, but that was better than trying to squeeze into a pair of Janet's. As she settled into the big bed next to her sister, she reflected that life with Sam and Janet was never boring. She hated it when Sam got hurt, but at least she would be okay, this time anyway. And Perdita was going to have to get used to late-night emergency dashes if she had Sam as a mom. She just prayed that both her moms would always be okay. She snuggled into Perdita for comfort, and was touched when in her sleep the child took her hand and held it tight. She could see why Sam had been so keen to bring her back to Earth. "Sleep well, Deetie," she whispered, as she dropped a light kiss on her sister's head.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Back in Sam's room, Janet changed into a pair of scrubs, and climbed on a gurney she had brought into the room. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but she was only small, and it did have the benefit of fitting snugly next to Sam's bed; she was even able to reach out and rest her hand on Sam's uninjured arm. She told herself it was to offer comfort to Sam, but she knew that the comfort was as much for herself.

Sam spent a restless night, but every time a nightmare woke her, Janet was there by her side, soothing her fears away and helping her to sleep again. The pain was a constant though, and Janet hated to see her suffer.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Sam whispered, when she awoke early the next morning. Even in her woozy state, she knew that this was as hard, if not harder, for Janet than it was for her.

"Not your fault, Sam, not your fault," Janet's voice was reassuring. "It's going to be okay."

"Hurts," Sam's voice was pained.

"I know, sweetie, and I'm sorry. We're trying to get your Dad back here; the MRI showed that the damage is significant. But if we can just get your Dad to give you a few blasts with the healing device," Janet hoped her optimistic tone would reassure Sam, "then you'll be fine and dandy in no time."

"Tok'ra have gone to ground," Sam said miserably. "Dunno where he is."

"Thor's on the case, honey," Janet took her hand, bringing the fingers to her lips. "He'll find him soon, I'm sure."

"Hope so," Sam winced as she spoke. Janet knew she must be hurting bad if she was pushing for her father to be located; usually, Sam was the epitome of stoicism and never made a fuss about her injuries. She adjusted the levels of sedation on the IV; she didn't dare give any more pain relief, but she hoped that if Sam could sleep it would be more bearable for her.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

At 0700hrs, O'Neill poked his head round the door of Sam's room. Janet was already up and dressed, though Sam was still asleep.

"Hi Doc, how's she doin'?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Morning Colonel," Janet replied. "She's okay, but the pain's bad, I think. The bruising's really coming out, she did a real number on it this time. I don't suppose you've had any luck with getting in contact with Jacob?"

O'Neill shook his head. "No joy there yet, I'm afraid, but the little guy's on it. He likes Carter, he's doing all he can."

"I'm sure he is," Janet agreed. "Fingers crossed then."

"That's the spirit," O'Neill replied. "Let me know if you need anything, eh, Doc?"

"Thanks Colonel," she replied, "I will."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

At exactly 0730hrs, Perdita and Cassie entered the room, hand in hand. Janet smiled at them, and put her finger to her lips. "She's still asleep," she told them in a quiet voice. "Why don't you two go get some breakfast? You can come back later."

Cassie smiled at her. "You okay?" she mouthed at her mother. Janet nodded, and blew her a kiss. Cassie 'caught' it, and winked. She gently shoved Perdita out of the door, and they set off for the commissary.

Cassie made sure that Perdita took her time over her breakfast, and then took her back to Sam and Janet's quarters to get dressed. When Perdita was in the shower, she called Dominic on his cellphone, to fill him in - as much as she was allowed - on what had happened. She told him that Sam had been hurt in an 'air force training exercise'. Even if she had been allowed to tell him the truth, she realized that her boyfriend might have found it hard to believe that she had been hurt on her way back from a planet 24,000 light years away, when she exited an open wormhole at 'warp' speed. She grinned as she switched the 'phone off.

"Why are you laughing?" Perdita asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"I just realized what a crazy world this is, Deetie, that's all. C'm'here," she caught her sister round the waist, making her squeal with laughter. She grabbed a towel from the side, and tenderly dried her hair.

"Cassie?" Perdita asked, once she was all dry and fully dressed. "What did Janet mean when she said she thought she could find a way to fix Sam up real quick? I didn't really understand that."

"Has Sam told you about her Dad?" Cassie asked, realizing that Perdita had not yet met Jacob.

"She told me he lives a long way away," Perdita answered. "She said she'd tell me all about him soon, but she hasn't yet."

"She's had too many other things to show you, I'll bet," Cassie grinned. "Well her Dad's called Jacob Carter, and he does live a very long way away. But he visits regularly, and he loves Sam. In fact," she mused, "he and Sam have got on a lot better in the last few years. They didn't have the best relationship for a while, but it's all good now."

"Was that because her mom died?" Perdita wanted to know.

"Kind of," Cassie said. "I think they kind of drifted apart. But they're real close now, despite being so far away from each other. Does that make sense, Deetie?"

Perdita nodded.

"Okay," Cassie went on. "Well it gets a bit more complicated. You know about the Goa'uld?"

"The snake-heads?" Perdita asked.

Cassie laughed. "You've been spending too much time with Uncle Jack, Deet! Yes, I do mean the 'snake-heads', I suppose. Well there's a special branch of 'snake-heads' who are good guys. They don't like the Goa'uld, and fight against them. They're called the Tok'ra. They've got 'snakes' in their heads too, but they are happy about it, and they live happily side by side. So a Tok'ra is basically two souls in one body. Are you following?"

"You mean not all snakes are bad then?" Perdita was confused; her Uncle Jack had told her never to trust a snake-head.

"All Goa'uld snakes are bad," Cassie corrected. "But the Tok'ra snakes are good, and they are fighting for peace and happiness. Sam's Dad, Jacob, used to be an ordinary human, like you or me. But then he got sick; real sick. And the only way to save him was to give him a 'snake' - the Tok'ra call them symbiotes; they can cure illnesses. So he blended with Selmak, a Tok'ra. So now he and Selmak live together, in the same body."

"Wow," Perdita was stunned. "Isn't that weird for Sam?"

"I think it was a bit, to start with," Cassie admitted. She decided that now was not the time to tell Perdita about Sam's experience with Jolinar. "But she was so pleased that her Dad got better, and now she really likes Selmak too. I think sometimes," Cassie grinned, "that Selmak and Sam tease Jacob a bit. Selmak's got a really good sense of humor."

"So how does Sam know who she's talking to?" Perdita asked.

"Well it's quite simple Deet, they've got different voices. And very different personalities, so it's all obvious. You'll understand when you meet him."

"Will I meet him soon?" Perdita was nervous, strangers were still a little scary to her, and this one sounded way out.

"I hope so, Deetie," Cassie told her. "Because that's the thing, you see. The Tok'ra have a very special skill. Using a healing device, they can make people feel much better when they're sick, or injured."

"So he can make Sam feel better?" Perdita exclaimed, excitedly. "That's great. Where is he?"

"They're trying to find him," Cassie said. "Because the Tok'ra are big enemies of the Goa'uld, they have to stay hidden from them, so we never know where they are. But Sam's got some good friends out in the galaxy, and they're all trying to track Jacob down. I don't think it'll be long, Deetie."

"And then Sam'll be alright again?"

"Well it may take a few goes with the device but yes, she should be," Cassie smiled at her. "Shall we go see if Sam's awake yet?"

Perdita nodded enthusiastically.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

By the time the two girls reached Sam's room, she was awake and sitting up slightly.

"Hey," Sam called softly as they came into the room. "I was wondering where my two girls were."

"Cassie was telling me all about the snake-heads," Perdita told her. "Has your Dad been yet?"

Sam laughed, wincing at the pain it caused her in her shoulder. "Not yet, Dita. And don't let my Dad hear you call him a snake head. He's a Tok'ra, you don't want to make him mad."

"You certainly don't," a disembodied voice called from the corridor. "Sam!" Jacob exclaimed as he rounded the corner. "What have you been up to this time?"

"Dad!" Sam smiled. "I've missed you."

Jacob approached the bed, and took her uninjured hand in his. He kissed her gently on the cheek. "So, kiddo," his voice was softer, "you've been in the wars. How're you feeling?"

"Honestly?" Sam asked. "Sore as hell. But I'm okay Dad. How are you?"

"I'm good Sam, great in fact. Certainly compared to you. We're going to fix that," he gestured at her shoulder, "you'll be back in fighting form in no time. Anise is bringing the healing device, she'll be another hour or so. We've modified the device recently, so it's more effective. But she's making some final adjustments. She's coming as soon as it's ready. I couldn't wait though, I wanted to see my kid."

"Well I'm right here, Dad," Sam winced as she tried to sit up a bit. "And I've been wanting to see you for ages. There's a very good reason for that. Dad, I'd like you to meet someone very special to me. This," she pointed, "is Perdita. She's part of the family. We met on a mission, and she agreed to come back with me."

"She did, huh?" Jacob took in the view of the small girl. "Well I'll bet she'd never seen you cook when she said yes!"

"Dad!" Sam was indignant. "There's nothing wrong with my cooking. It's just a little.. unorthodox.. sometimes."

"Sam," Jacob was smiling. "Your cooking's not unorthodox. Your cooking's lethal. But Perdita looks like she's survived, so I can only surmise that Janet's still in charge of the kitchen. Hello, Perdita," his voice was gentler. He put out his hand for her to shake. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Perdita shrank back behind Cassie. "It's okay," Cassie told her, "this is Jacob. You'll like him. He can be a bit of a grumpy old man sometimes, but he's a teddy bear really."

Jacob smiled at that description.

"I can't see any..." she reached up to whisper in Cassie's ear "snake".

Cassie laughed. "You can't see Selmak, Deet," she told her, "but he's in there. And he'll want to meet you too."

"Actually, Selmak's a 'she'," Jacob said, "as much as a symbiote can have a gender. And you're right, Cassandra, I think she'll like Perdita. Though that's all you're right about. I am *not* a grumpy old man," he winked at Cassie to show her he knew she was kidding. "D'you want to meet Selmak Perdita?"

"I don't know," Perdita whispered. She was overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"It's okay, Deetie," Cassie held her hand tight. "You just hold on to me. If there's anything you don't like, we'll leave. It'll be fine, I promise."

So Jacob lowered his head, his eyes flashed, causing Perdita to jump, and Selmak took over.

"Perdita," Selmak said. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance. And Cassandra's right, Jacob can be a very grumpy old man. But I'm training him slowly, and he's much better than he used to be." Selmak winked, causing Perdita to giggle.

"Dita?" Sam's voice was strained. "Why don't you, Cass, Dad and Selmak go to the commissary for some cake? You can get to know each other for a bit, while we wait for Anise to arrive."

Janet realized that Sam was tired, and in more pain than she had let on. So she shooed her daughters, and Jacob/Selmak out of the room. "Give it an hour," she whispered to Cassandra. "And then send Jacob back in on his own. Sam needs a break, honey."

"Okay, Mom," Cassandra said. "Look after her?"

"I will honey, I will," Janet was already turning back to Sam.

"Hurts bad, doesn't it?" she asked her.

Sam nodded. "Not for much longer, I hope," she said weakly.

"Think you can sleep for a while?" Janet asked. "Just until Anise arrives with the healing device?"

"Will you stay with me?" Sam knew how pathetic she sounded.

"Of course I will sweetie," Janet smoothed her hand reassuringly over Sam's brow, and kissed her gently. "Always." She pulled up the chair, and held Sam's hand carefully between her own. She was relieved when after about ten minutes, Sam's breathing evened out and she fell to sleep.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

It was nearly two hours later when Jacob let himself quietly into the room. Janet was relieved to see him holding the healing device.

"She okay?" he asked Janet.

Janet nodded. "I think it was all a bit much for her. The sooner you start to heal her, the better."

"I need to see what's going on under there," he pointed to the bandages. "D'you think you can take those off without waking her?"

Janet shook her head. "No, not a chance in hell. But that's okay, she can sleep afterwards. Sam," she said in a soft voice, and ran her hand gently up her uninjured arm. "Sam? Can you wake up for me sweetie?"

Sam drifted back to consciousness. "Wha'?" she asked, somewhat pissed at being woken.

"Your Dad's back, hon, and he's got the healing device. I just need to get you unwrapped, so he's knows what he's working with."

Sam blanched; she knew this was going to hurt. "Hey Dad," she said. "Okay, Jan, whatever you need."

"I'll be as careful as I can," Janet approached the bed. Very gently, she untied the sling. Sam tried not to cry out as Janet slid her hand under her bad arm and lowered it, carefully, onto a pillow she had put on Sam's lap in preparation. Rather than try to undo the bandages underneath, Janet took a sharp pair of scissors and started to cut through the thick bandaging supporting her shoulder. As her arm moved as a result of the loss of support, Sam gasped in pain.

"Jan, stop," Sam's voice was ragged. Janet's heart broke to see the pain she was in. She grabbed another pillow and very carefully inserted it under the other one. "Shit that hurts," Sam was almost panting.

"I know, baby," Janet wished the whole procedure were over. "Nearly there, I promise."

Finally all the bandages had been cut through, and Janet pulled them carefully away from Sam's shoulder. For the first time, Jacob could see the terrible swelling and the multi-colored bruising underneath. "You don't do things by halves, do you kiddo?" he said quietly to Sam. "That's some bruising you got there."

"Yeah," Sam said. "Thought I'd give you a challenge."

"You're not kidding, Sam," he told her. "This is going to take a few sessions, Sam. But we should be able to do it. I think I'll let Sel take over, I think we need the experts in on this one."

Sam nodded. Jacob dipped his head, and when he looked up again, he was Selmak. "Are you ready?" he asked. Sam nodded again, reaching at the same time for Janet's hand.

Janet held Sam's uninjured hand firmly as Selmak moved the healing device up and down her shoulder. Sam tried not to cry out as the glow from the device went to work on her ravaged shoulder. Finally, after about ten minutes, Selmak told them that that would do for the first session. "She'll sleep now," Selmak said, touching Janet's arm. "And when she wakes, she will feel significantly better."

Impulsively, Janet reached up and kissed Jacob/Selmak's cheek. "Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes. "I hate it when she's hurting."

"Jan?" Sam's voice was slurred. "Love you."

Janet squeezed her fingers. "Back at you baby, back at you."


	7. Chapter 7 of 7 Celebrations

When Sam awoke after her first session with the healing device, she felt a hundred times better. Janet was standing by her bed. "Hey Sam," she said quietly, "how're you feeling?"

Sam smiled tiredly. "I'm great, baby, I can't tell you the difference. I'm tired as hell, though, but the pain's almost gone."

Janet smiled back. "I'm so pleased honey. The bruising's right down. Your Dad and Selmak think maybe three more sessions, and then you'll be done. Deetie can't wait to get you home; she's pissed with me, I told her you'd likely come home today. But definitely in a couple of days. Unless you fall out of bed or somethin'," she ran her hand lovingly along Sam's arm. "It's great to have you back, Sam. You weren't 'yourself' after the accident."

"I didn't feel myself Jan, but I do now. I feel good, and I can't wait to get home. No, it's okay," she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I'm not going to complain, I'll stay until you say, I swear!"

Janet was touched. "Are you sure you're the same Sam Carter?" she teased. "I've never had so few complaints from you in the infirmary."

"You never know, Jan, I could be a replicator. Or a clone, or even an android" Sam teased back.

Janet leant down and kissed her gently. "Nope," she smiled. "There can only be one of you that makes me feel the way you do. You're real. And you're safe."

Sam smiled, as she drifted off to sleep again.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Two hours later, Sam awoke again, to see O'Neill sitting by her bed. "Hey Carter," he said, "you doin' okay?"

"Hi Sir," she replied. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. Dad's fixed me up. Janet said I'll be out of here in a couple of days, good as new."

"That's good to hear Carter," he said. "No thanks to that jerk Bowman."

Sam's face clouded over. "I don't know where he could have gone wrong," she was puzzled; her instructions had been quite clear.

"I'll tell you where he went wrong," O'Neill spat. "The stupid ass thought that you had made a mistake. He took a look at your calculations, and decided, unilaterally, that you can missed out a step in them. So he took it upon himself to amend your amendments."

Sam was furious. "But he never even said he didn't trust them. How the hell could he do that? Somebody could have been killed."

"Yeah," O'Neill's tone was grim. "He nearly was; by me. I was tempted to rip his head off."

Sam looked panicked.

"Don't worry, Carter, I didn't do it. I wanted to, but I didn't. But he's facing a disciplinary. Between you and me Hammond's gonna bust him down to a lieutenant, and that's only if he apologizes and admits his mistake. Any trouble out of him and he'll gonna bust him right down to airman. It's not the first time he's failed to follow orders, but Hammond thought he'd learned his lesson. He feels really badly about this, Carter, thinks it was his fault for giving Bowman another chance."

"It wasn't his fault," Carter protested. "And sometimes you've got to forgive and forget and move on. We all make mistakes sometimes."

"Not this time," O'Neill said. "This time he's gonna learn that he can't mess with the SGC."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Three days after Sam had been allowed home, she noticed Janet and Perdita huddled in a corner.

"What's up?" she asked them both. Perdita giggled.

"It's on a need-to-know basis, Sam, and you don't need to know," Janet informed her, in a mock-strict tone. "Young Miss Carter and I have things to discuss, to which you and Cassandra are not privy." She laughed at the look on Sam's face.

"Jan!" Sam cried. "C'mon, what's goin' on?" her tone was wheedling.

"Perdita and I are merely discussing our plans for next week's celebration and I'm sorry, Sam, but these must remain private at all costs!" Janet laughed openly at her lover.

Sam knew what was going on; next week was Cassie's fifteenth birthday, and it had become something of a tradition for Janet to do something really dumb to make them all laugh on that day. She had clearly decided to bring Perdita in on the joke; Sam's heart melted at her thoughtfulness. Perdita had settled in really well since her arrival on Earth, but still Janet was going out of her way to make sure she felt included in everything.

Sam laughed too. "Well, in that case, far be it from me to interfere in such top-secret plans. I take it I should look forward to the culmination of these discussions?"

"You bet, sweetie, you bet," Janet flung herself onto Sam's lap and kissed her soundly. Sam's recovery from her accident had been miraculous; this was only four days after her last treatment with the healing device, and as far as Janet could tell, she was already back up to full strength. Janet had even been able to test that out by putting her through her paces at night, and she had to admit that there seemed to no residual damage at all. In fact, if anything, Sam's strength and stamina had improved, she mused to herself, with a smile on her lips.

"What are you smiling at now?" Sam asked, her arms round Janet's waist. Janet whispered in her ear. "Oh," she blushed and grinned. "That. Well, practice makes perfect, baby, you should know that better than anyone."

Janet grinned back, and leapt off her lap. "Well, there's no time to waste. Deetie and I are going out now to formulate our plan of action."

"Going out?" Sam pouted.

"Oh yeah," Janet told her. "We've decided to head out for dinner, so we can talk about things in private, without anybody listening in. We won't be late, we've got a very busy day tomorrow."

Sam pretended to sulk. "Well try not to think about me, all my own, in an empty house, lonely and bereft!"

Perdita looked stricken. She ran up to Sam. "You can come too, can't she Janet?" She was worried that Sam was serious.

"She most certainly cannot!" Janet retorted, and then started to laugh. "She's kidding you, Deetie, she's got to go out in ten minutes to pick Cassie up from her day at the park. And then they're off to the movies, if I remember right? And I'll bet you they pick up a pizza on the way back."

Sam laughed. "Busted," she admitted. Since she and Janet had adopted Cassie, she had tried to make time every now and again to spend an evening on her own with her, to show her how special she was in her life. She knew that she didn't do it nearly often enough, but she was determined that it was a tradition she would not drop just because Perdita had come into the household. So she and Janet had decided that morning that each of them would take a daughter out that night.

"I'm not kidding, though, Sam," Janet had told her. "Those plans are private. We want you to be as surprised as Cass."

"You surprise me every day, Jan," Sam had replied, running her hand through Janet's hair. "There's never time to get bored with you around."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

So Janet and Perdita headed out to the small Italian restaurant near the house. Perdita was very excited, and felt extremely grown-up, heading out with one of her moms to make plans for her sister's birthday. And Sam collected Cassie from the park, watched a mind-numbingly awful movie that Cassie just loved, and stopped for take-out on the way home.

At around 1000hrs, Janet and Perdita returned.

"See?" In the kitchen, Sam waved the empty take-out cartons at Janet as Perdita bounded into the living room, chattering excitedly to Cassie. "No pizza!"

"I'm not sure that Chinese is all that much healthier, sweetie," Janet laughed. "Still, at least you didn't try to cook, that definitely would not have been a healthy option!"

"I don't know how you can say that about my cooking," Sam retorted, but couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I'll bet there are some planets where my culinary skills would be considered to be cordon-bleu."

"It's possible," Janet grinned, "just how many uninhabited planets are there out there?"

Sam made a grab for her, but Janet dodged behind the table. Sam was faster though, and after feinting to the left, she dodged to the right and grabbed her firmly round the waist, pulling her to her. "Forfeit!" she cried triumphantly. "You want to pay it now, or save it for later?" and pulled her to her, kissing her deeply.

"Not too much later, baby" Janet breathed, immediately aroused by Sam's touch, returning the kiss.

At that moment, Cassie wandered into the kitchen. "Ugh, gross," she commented casually. "Get a room, why don't you?"

"Oh we've got a whole house, Cass," Sam laughed, "just look at the deeds. We can do what we want, where we want!"

Cassie was unimpressed. "You must be way too old for that stuff now," she sniffed, but Sam could see the mischief in her eyes. "How old are you two now anyway? You must be, like, fifty by now."

Janet collapsed with laughter in Sam's arms. At 34 and 33 respectively, she knew without a doubt that she and Sam were by no means too old for 'that stuff'. She was also completely confident that she and Sam would still be together when they were fifty, and way, way beyond, and that even then, they would definitely not be too old for 'that stuff'. She couldn't imagine any time in the future when she and Sam would not still be hot for each other. The more she learned about Sam's body, the more she wanted to know. And she knew that the feeling was mutual.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

"So honey," Sam said to Janet, much later, as they lay lazily in bed after making love for the second time that night, "did you and Dita finish all your plans for Cassie's birthday?"

Janet rolled onto her side, draping one arm over Sam's torso, and caressing her cheek with the other hand. "We sure did, baby, and you're gonna love it. Deetie's so excited, I can't wait to see her. She's gonna find it real hard not to let on to Cassie, but she's determined it's going to be a surprise."

"Cassie'll love it," Sam was sure of that. "You know, Jan, she really does love that little girl. She's been amazing, when you think about it. Before Dita came along, she was an only child, with all the attention. But she hasn't shown one bit of jealousy."

"She isn't jealous, Sam, that's why," Janet told her. "She really does love her. And she also understands, better than any of us could ever understand, what it's like for Deetie. She really does want to help her. She wants Deetie to know that it's possible to start your life over, and to be happy. And I think Deetie's learning that, don't you hon?"

"I think she is, sweetie, I really do," Sam agreed. "And it hasn't all been easy, has it? I mean, being stuck back at the SGC 'cos of my stupid accident, meeting Dad and Selmak before she had settled in and knew what was going on. But she seems to be handling it all, doesn't she?"

"She's a strong kid," Janet said. "What amazes me is that she's got such a sweet nature. All she's been through, you'd think she'd be all messed up. And I know she still gets scared, but I really do think she's getting there."

Sam thought for a moment. "You know, Jan, I don't think she's spent the night in the tent for nearly two weeks now."

Janet realized she was right. "It's going well, Sam, isn't it?"

Sam snuggled up to Janet. "It is, baby, it really is."

They drifted off to sleep, wrapped tight in each other's arms.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

"What time are the guys getting here?" Janet was beginning to panic. After a wonderful day celebrating Cassie's birthday, she was now getting nervous about the 'surprise' that she and Perdita had dreamt up for that evening. Perdita was locked in the dining room, preparing herself, and wouldn't allow anybody except Janet to enter - Janet even had to give the 'special knock' before Perdita would open the door.

"They'll be here in twenty minutes, Jan," Sam drew her into a hug. "It'll be great. Whatever it is. And Cassie's gonna love it. She always loves your surprises, and this one'll be extra special because Dita's going to be part of it."

"I hope you're right, honey," Janet still looked worried. "I'd hate it to fall flat, for Deetie's sake as much as for Cassie's."

"You've got nothing to worry about, hon," Sam reassured her. "Anyway, can you imagine the guys not loving something that Dita's a part of? All three of them have fallen completely in love with her, I've not seen anything like it since we brought Cassie back that time."

Janet knew that was true. The colonel, Daniel and Teal'c all seemed to turn gooey-eyed whenever Perdita's name was mentioned. Daniel had played a huge part in her education already; thanks to him, she was devouring books at a huge rate. And Jack had taught her many different tricks with a yo-yo, and had gotten her hooked on The Simpsons. One afternoon, when Sam and Janet were tied up at the SGC, he had taken her home, with Daniel and Teal'c for company, and between them they had sat through a five-hour marathon viewing session, punctuated only by the noise of popcorn chewing, and the occasional question from Perdita about which character was which. And Teal'c had given his heart to her on her home planet, when he had first set eyes on her. He had been so touched by her instant trust in him. He knew that her experiences of men had not all been good, so he was doubly moved by her confidence.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

"Okay, you ready?" Janet called from the dining room. She had set up a curtain across the living room, so that she and Perdita could come out of the dining room unseen, and be 'in position'. Sam would pull the curtain aside when she was directed.

"C'mon Doc, get on with it!" O'Neill shouted. "We're all ready for you."

At that moment, the Simpsons' theme tune started blaring loudly from the stereo behind the curtain. Janet nodded to Sam, and the curtain burst open.

Cassie was astounded to see her 34-year-old mother, dressed in a ragged red dress, with a wide string of plastic pearls round her neck, with the most ridiculous blonde wig on - she looked the spitting image of Lisa Simpson. To top it off, she was clutching a full-size saxophone, and was miming along to the theme tune that was still playing.

O'Neill barked with laughter, and clapped his hands together in delight. Just at that moment, though, a plank fell into the middle of the room, and a Bart Simpson-lookalike, splendidly attired in blue shorts and a red t-shirt, shot down the plank at high speed on a skateboard. Bart - or Perdita - skidded to a halt at the bottom of the plank. She grinned widely at the round of applause she received. Continuing to re-enact the opening credits of what had become her favorite cartoon show, she pulled a sheet off a chalk board on an easel behind her, and wrote, confidently:

"I must not compare Uncle Jack to Mr Burns  
I must not compare Uncle Jack to Mr Burns."

The sound of laughter in the room was deafening. She looked up and saw her Uncle Jack holding on to Cassie's arm, unable to speak, as tears of laughter rolled down his cheeks. He was catatonic with mirth for a full ten minutes, and Perdita's delight at the success of their entertainment was palpable. Cassie ran up to her, and picked her up, swinging her round in her arms. "That was the best ever, Deetie!" she told her with feeling. She ran her hair through her sister's spiky locks. "And how did you get your hair to stick up like that?" she asked her.

Perdita smiled shyly. "Janet helped me with it, using hair gel. I think it's kinda funny."

"It sure is Deetie, it sure is," Cassie hugged her tight. "You know, Deet, bringing you back was one of the best moves Sam ever made."

Perdita grinned with delight.

Eventually, O'Neill regained the power of speech. "You really outdid yourself this time, Doc," he was still wheezing. "And Deetie's a natural on that skateboard."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, causing laughter to erupt all over yet again.

Daniel too was so proud of Perdita's achievements; not only had she performed superbly, but she had also written on the chalk board, with real confidence, and without making a single mistake. Only a few weeks before she hadn't been able to read or write at all. And he hadn't coached her on that sentence. He knew that she'd have no trouble when she started school the next semester.

Once it all quietened down a bit, Janet noticed that Sam was missing. She had last seen her hugging Perdita just after the performance, but she hadn't seen her since. She went in search of her, and from the kitchen she could see her sitting quietly on the steps in the garden.

"Hey," Janet called softly, putting a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder, not wanting to startle her. "You okay baby?"

Sam looked up at her, her face wet with tears. "Oh Jan," she said, "I'm okay. I don't think I've ever been more okay."

"So why are you crying, hon?" Janet took out her handkerchief and dabbed at her cheeks.

"It's happiness, Janet," Sam told her. "I've never been so happy. Seeing you, and Dita, and Cassie, all together in that room, laughing and messing about with the guys. I'm so happy, it made me cry. Dumb, huh?" and she laughed ruefully.

"No, baby," Janet took her hand and kissed it. "It's not dumb at all. I was just thinking the same myself. Deetie's made the family complete, hasn't she hon? I don't think Cassie's ever been so happy either."

Sam pulled Janet to her and kissed her. "Everything's great Jan," she agreed. She wiped her eyes. "Okay, let's head back in. Don't forget, sweetie, you've got to do it all again tomorrow."

Janet groaned. She had forgotten that she and Perdita had promised to show their 'surprise' to Catherine and Ernest the next day, since they hadn't been able to make it to the celebration. "I might get used to dressing as a precocious schoolgirl," she winked. "D'you think you'd like that Sam?" and she gave her a look that could only be described as lascivious.

"I think I could adjust," Sam smiled, her mouth suddenly dry. "Just promise me one thing, huh?"

"What's that honey?" Janet's eyes twinkled.

"Don't bring the sax to bed tonight!" Sam grinned widely at her.

So Janet didn't.

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

Four months later, Sam came home early from the SGC. Janet was picking up Perdita and Cassie from their respective schools. By the time they got back, they saw a note on the door:

_"We're going out for dinner; dress up. We leave at 1900hrs. S. xxx"_

Janet was intrigued. She went up to their room, and could see that Sam had been home; her BDUs were in the linen basket, and the bathroom was steamed up and smelt deliciously of Sam's favorite scent, she had obviously had a long bath. But there was no sign of her.

Ten minutes later, there was a ring at the door. "Get that would you Cass?" Janet shouted.

Cassie went to the door, and looked through the spy hole. She grinned widely. "Mom?" she called back. "I think it's for you!"

Janet grumbled, and went to the door herself. "Well, I don't see why you couldn't at least answer it," she was still putting in her earrings.

She opened the door, and her jaw dropped at the sight that met her. Sam was dressed up, to the nines, in a figure-hugging black dress. She was beautifully made up, with light elegant jewelry. She was wearing the biggest smile Janet had ever seen, and was holding a huge bunch of red roses. "Dr Fraiser?" Sam asked in a sultry voice. "Special delivery!"

Janet flung herself into her arms. "Oh Sam, they're beautiful. What is all this in aid of?"

"All in good time, sweetie, all in good time. Today is a very special day. Where are the girls?" Sam asked. Janet called them in.

"I've got something for you too," Sam grinned. "C'm'here," and she led them to the garage, where there were two big boxes, all wrapped up.

"That one's yours Cass," she pointed, "and that's yours Dita."

Janet took her hand, and they both watched with delight as Cassie unwrapped the latest, state-of-the-art computer, and Perdita exclaimed over her new, shiny bike. She noticed the bell on the handlebars, with the Simpsons on it, and laughed out loud. Both girls ran up to Sam and Janet, and the whole family met together in a tight hug.

In the cab on the way to the restaurant, all three tried to get Sam to tell them the reason for the celebration, but she refused. After they arrived, and had been shown to the best table in the place and had given their orders, Sam triumphantly opened a bottle of champagne. She poured a full glass for her and Janet, gave Cassie half a glass, and dropped a splash into a glass for Perdita.

"I want to make a toast, to us all" she said, tears in her brilliant blue eyes. "I got something special in the post today," and she got an envelope out of her bag, handing it to Janet. Janet read it, and wordlessly passed it to Cassie, who squealed with delight and impetuously hugged Perdita to her.

"What is it?" Perdita didn't understand.

"Here, look," Cassie showed her the piece of paper. "This is the official notice of your adoption, Deet. You're now legally Sam's daughter. You are part of the family."

Perdita got off her chair and ran round to the other side of the table and flung herself at Sam. "You're my mom," she whispered. "You're really my mom."

Sam pulled her onto her lap. "I am Dita. And you're my girl. Mine, and Janet's, and Cassie's. We're gonna have a great life together."

**SGSGSGSGSGSGSGS**

The meal was a great success, and it wasn't until way after Perdita's, and even Cassie's, bedtime when they all made their weary way upstairs.

Janet and Sam changed for bed. Sam used the bathroom first, so by the time Janet emerged, Sam was standing by the window. She turned as Janet emerged.

"Jan?" Sam's face was serious.

"What is it hon?" Janet asked.

"There's one more thing, baby. I know it's not legal yet, but it will be one day," and she knelt on one knee, "will you be mine forever? And will you marry me as soon as we possibly can?" and she took a small box from her robe pocket. She held it out; it contained a beautiful, delicate diamond ring.

"Oh Sam, I can't think of a single thing that would make me happier," Janet cried. Sam took the ring out of the box, and slid it on Janet's engagement finger.

She leant down, and kissed her lover, slowly and passionately. "I love you Jan."

END


End file.
